Mirror, Mirror
by Basalit-an
Summary: Bella, a 200-year-old vampire, is forced to attend the tiny high school in the tiny town of Forks, Washington. She finds most of her peers insufferable, but there seems to be one boy there who may just reawaken her passions.
1. Chapter 1

In the two hundred-and-some-odd years I've been alive, I had never been forced to attend any school. I grew up during a time when poor girls such as I just didn't go to school. In the years after my turning, I was far too busy dealing with hunting, feeding, hiding and struggling with the creature who turned me to really care much about arithmetic and reading. When I had more free time on my hands, I decided that private tutoring would suit me more than attending any school with other delicious-smelling humans.

So now I was baffled as to how I had let myself be convinced to attend the tiny public high school in the tinier town of Forks, Washington.

I mean, I can easily recall how Ana, my vampire "guardian" argued with me over enrolling. I remember she mentioned something about reconnecting with humanity and making friends. As if a vampire like me could befriend a human.

"I'm not going to play around with humans," I snapped, scoffing at the idea. "Humans hardly befriend chickens and cows, do they?"

"I knew a couple of humans that kept chickens as pets," Ana countered. I scowled at her as she relaxed in her big La-Z-Boy, her booted feet up on the oaken coffee table. "Just because we feed off humans doesn't mean we can't get along."

I rolled my eyes at her. "I don't want to attend a silly human school," I said, almost whining. "I can do so many better things with my time."

Ana raised a well-shaped eyebrow at me, and even before she spoke, I knew what she was going to say. "You can do many better things with your time, but you don't. Apart from cleaning the house and ensuring our blood supply, you just sit around and sulk." She got to her feet at last and sped to my side, faster than any mortal could even dream. She was almost a head taller than me, and she took my chin in her strong hand, making me look up into her almond-shaped crimson eyes. "I do worry about you, Bella. It seems like you're getting bored with life, and so soon."

I moved my chin out of her hand and sighed. "I get it. You want me out and about, but why at a high school? Why can't I just get a job?" I shook my head. "And why, of all places on this planet, in this dinky town?"

Ana's thin lips just curved into her usual little grin that generally meant she was up to something mischievous. She never gave me any answers to my questions after that, and yet, here I was, in front of Forks High.

I shook my head at the recollection, gazing at the school that sprawled out in front of me. I glanced over the teenagers slowly meandering towards the buildings, meeting with friends, laughing, talking. It was the middle of winter, and everyone was bundled up for the cold. I was too, but only so as to fit in. I didn't feel the chill in the air anymore. I could have stepped out in a bikini and felt fine, but I figure that would have attracted some weird looks.

I fell into step behind some kids, not rushing to get to my first class. I didn't see why Ana couldn't have waited until the new school year to enroll me in the school. It's not like I would look any older next September. It almost seemed like Ana had shoehorned me into this year's junior class as fast as possible. I wondered what she was up to.

I was not unaware of the glances I was getting from kids. In this tiny town, where everyone knew everyone, I was definitely the stranger. All these children probably grew up together, had known each other for all their short seventeen-or-so years. And out of the blue, in the middle of the school year, comes this new girl to make some ripples in this perfect little pond. I could almost hear the nervous thoughts in every head, wondering who I was, what I was like, if I would upset the balance of the school. Maybe I'd steal someone's boyfriend, or turn out to be a terrible influence on the freshman. Small towns like these were very close-knit and protective, distrusting outsiders and strangers.

I was certainly a novelty. I was supposed to be from Phoenix, Arizona (Ana's idea for a cover story, but who would believe I'd be from the desert with my pale, pale skin?), an exotic land of cacti and actual sunshine. I glanced up at the clouded sky. I could see one reason why Ana may have picked this place for me to mingle with humans. It rained for most of the year, meaning no sun to shine on my skin. Otherwise I'd start shining like a disco ball, and I'd have a lot of trouble on my hands if any mortals saw me.

I stepped up a small flight of outdoor steps, careful not to slip on the snow and ice that had settled there. In my mortal life, I had been clumsy and accident-prone, and that flight of stairs would probably have been enough to take me down for a little while. Apparently, being turned vampire had improved my sense of balance somehow, and now I was as graceful as a ballerina, or other something else equally silly.

"Hey, new girl!" I heard someone call behind me, and I figured that was meant for me. I fought the urge to ignore the call — Ana did want me to make friends, after all — and turned around, glancing for the source of the call. My gaze was drawn to a tall boy with shaggy blond hair and eager blue eyes waving over to me with a gloved hand. He stood by one of the school's buildings with two other girls. Even from the distance of about twenty feet, I could make out the boyish features of his face.

I approached the threesome, forcing myself to smile politely at the children. Though we all looked the same age, it was hard for me not to consider these three children — I was, after all, probably twice as old as their grandparents.

"Hey," the boy said in greeting with a friendly grin. He reminded me of those really nice but kind of creepy boys on old TV shows from the 1950s and '60s, the type to say "Golly!" and "Isn't that swell?".

"I'm Mike Newton, and this is Jessica and Angela," he announced and vaguely gestured to his female companions, not bothering to really specify which girl was which. I noticed they both were looking at me with apprehension, and I felt a bit like the wild animal they got to see up close.

I nodded at Mike, my smile unwavering. "Nice to meet you," I said as politely as I could, but it sounded more like I was trying to be diplomatic. "I'm Bella. Bella Swan-" Before I could finish saying my current last name (I had had many over the centuries), a horrid and jarring ringing sound came from the halls of the school. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound, but the children in front of me seemed completely unfazed. They did, however, seem to automatically turn toward the school, as if they were conditioned to do so.

"Do you need help finding your first class?" Mike asked me as his female friends began to walk away.

I bit down on my tongue before I gave him the terse and snappy "No, thank you" that threatened to leave my lips, remembering once again my promise to Ana. "That would be nice, thank you," I told Mike, and my voice still sounded strange in my ears, like it was obvious I was trying to fake my friendly tone. I could only hope I was imagining it, but from the dark look one of the girls shot at me, I felt my hopes were in vain.

Still, Mike seemed infinitely happy to lead me to my first class. He chatted the whole time we walked together, though I honestly couldn't remember whatever it was he was saying. As we entered a hall and began to weave around bodies, I became increasingly distracted by the smell of human.

I could almost see the healthy blood pumping through the veins on necks as I passed by them, and I could feel my teeth shifting in my mouth. I hadn't fed that morning, and my body was eager to feed now. Because of my diet, my eyes tended to be a bright red. This was hardly a natural human eye color, though, and Ana had forbade me to feed that morning before school, so that now my eyes seemed to look darker and closer to a more natural brown in the right kind of light.

Being a vampire in the human world was incredibly inconvenient and uncomfortable. I wanted to get away from it as soon as I possibly could, but I was still looking at several hours of this torture ahead of me and no way out. I did have to admit, though, that it was marginally more exciting than staying home all day.

That thought immediately reversed itself the moment I stepped into my first class, a literature class. The first thing I noticed was the overwhelming scent of people — and young people, at that. Teenagers had all sorts of chemical and hormonal changes coursing through them, making their scents more pungent than that of adults. And I was to be trapped with thirty of them in a small room for an hour, with hunger pains cramping in my stomach.

It was too much, and I made myself stop breathing. It's not like I needed oxygen to go through my body anymore, but breathing regularly allows me to smell the environment. This was very helpful if I were outside, where I may find prey or sense some kind of impending danger. In this warm classroom, though, with thirty warm bodies giving off thirty delicious scents, it was best I just didn't take anything in.

With the distraction of human fluids out of my way, I could more easily focus on what was going on. To my dismay, that wasn't much. The instructor was droning on about school rules, dress code, conduct and other things that anyone could read from the thousands of multi-colored papers handed to us listing all of these rules. Some kids tried to talk to me — let's try to get to know the exotic new girl! - but I have to admit, I mostly ignored them. They just didn't seem worth my time, even though time is the one thing in the world I have an unlimited supply of.

This same situation was repeated three more times before there was a lunch break. Ana even packed me an adorable little sack lunch for me to gnaw on so that I wouldn't seem weird not eating. Vampires could eat, after all, but there was no point to it. We no longer needed the nourishment such food provided. Some younger vampires would still eat out of habit, but quickly realize that food no longer seemed as desirable as it once used to.

What I really wanted was to pull some poor random kid into a darkened classroom and suck him dry. Or, better still, get home and sink my teeth into a nice bag of blood. Certainly not make a show of eating a ham sandwich and a green apple.

So I didn't. Instead, I headed to the library, where I might find myself a place of quiet solitude.

There were children in there, of course: children on computers, children at tables, eating (even in the library! What kind of place allows that?), children sitting in the narrow aisles of the bookshelves, reading, probably not caring that people may want to get past them. But, even with all this chaos, the library was still relatively quiet. Occasionally there'd be a quiet chuckle or hushed word exchanged between friends, but it was peaceful enough. I found myself a small, empty table, dropped down into a chair and pretended to read one of the three magazines I found on it until the bell rang.

* * *

When I walked into my fifth class directly after lunch, I was asking myself why I didn't just leave. After all, what consequences would there be to my leaving? I'd get detention? What a horrible fate.

But even still, I found myself shuffling to this next class. I told myself it might not be so bad. It was a biology class, and that was not something that I had learned much of, even in my long life. I might actually learn something today, but only if I didn't hold my breath. Oh wait.

I dropped down into my assigned seat. I glanced about the room, noting that this room was much different than the other classrooms. It looked more like a science room, with wide, black tables filling the open space. On each table sat a covered microscope, and I have to admit, I felt a small tinge of excitement as getting the chance to use one. Then I reminded myself that these microscopes were probably of poor quality and as old as I was, and my excitement vanished.

I did notice a few children in this class who were in other classes. I recognized Mike, the puppy-like boy who greeted me this morning, and he grinned over at me the moment he saw me looking at him. I forced myself to give him a small smile and quickly turned away. I could tell he found me attractive, and I didn't need him pursuing me. I was certainly not going to have a relationship with a mortal!

I focused on pulling my biology book out of my backpack — a bright pink, flimsy article that Ana had purchased for me the previous week, much to my dismay — and as I waited for class to begin, I flipped through the pages, glancing at diagrams and photos of cells and more cells. My hopes for this class to be interesting were quickly fading. I didn't care either way about cells, especially since mine were dead.

Beside me, the chair pulled out and a student slid in, dropping his green backpack on the floor. I glanced over at him, noting it wasn't anyone I had seen in any of my classes yet — or at least, no one I had noticed. He wasn't anything special to look at — he was tall, overweight, his face covered in pimples and eyes covered in glasses. I sincerely hoped he made up in intellect where he failed in physical prowess, because I was pretty sure he was to be my partner in this class for the year. If he can't be pleasing to look at, he should at least be useful.

"Hello," he said to me quietly, and I could tell he was sizing me up. I returned the greeting almost mechanically. "You must be Bella Swan."

"Bella Swanson," I corrected, figuring Mike must have been talking about me to everyone who would listen. Edward just nodded and looked toward the front of the class, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. I rolled my eyes at him and also looked toward the front, where the instructor was getting ready to hand out some papers. I tried not to groan aloud. This was not going to be an exciting class.

* * *

My final class was gym, and that was the most difficult class of all. Besides having to undress in a public locker room, I was forced to very carefully play volleyball with several other humans. Being a vampire, I am far stronger and faster than any human could ever dream. If I were to play with my full strength, I could have killed a few people just hitting the ball to them. So instead, I just lightly tapped the ball away, or purposely missed it altogether. The warm-up run was more like a power walk for me. And, once again, people wanted to talk to me.

I was so relieved to when the final bell rang. I didn't stop for anyone who looked like they wanted to talk to me. I made a bee line for my car, a modest little sedan I had bought some years back, and peeled out of the parking lot like my house was on fire. I'm sure that attracted some undue attention, but I didn't care. I was out of school, and I resolved never to go back to that nightmare.


	2. Chapter 2

I sped down the narrow roads of Forks, passing through downtown in half a second and speeding past blurs that were homes. I weaved past other cars on the road, not even registering the blows of horns in my wake. I didn't usually drive like this. Even with my heightened reflexes (not to mention nearly-impenetrable skin and overall immortality), I much preferred to drive at a slower pace. It kept the police off me. Today, however, was definitely a drive-like-a-crazy-woman day.

I made it to our home in minutes of leaving school. Ana and I lived in a modest two-story home on the outskirts of the town, in a private suburban neighborhood. It was painted a light blue and raised up on a deck, either to prevent flooding or just to look nice. It was cute and nice and the perfect home for two vampires to hide in plain sight.

I brought my poor car to a dead stop in the driveway, barely remembering to take the keys out of the ignition before I stormed up the walkway and into the house. I forced myself to close the door calmly, for if I were to slam it, I may have thrown the door through the threshold.

I flew through the house, calling Ana's name, trying to find her. Even though our home boasted only five rooms, she could be tricky to find. She was a silent creature, and even with my very sensitive hearing, I had trouble hearing where she could be at times. I first checked her room, stomping up the winding staircase that led right into the foyer, taking three steps at a time.

Though both the hall and Ana's room were very dark, I could easily see everything: the furniture, the pictures on the walls, the clothing scattered about Ana's room. The owner of these clothes was not to be found in her room, however, and I hurried back downstairs, still calling for Ana and growing more annoyed with every step.

A quick search of the living room, kitchen and dining room turned up nothing, but I found a note on the refrigerator from her stating that she had gone out and would be back "later". There was no time listed on the note, so I had no idea if "later" would be any minute now or hours on into the night. Ana was very care-free and often came and went with the wind. It was irritating at times.

I let out a puff of air and leaned against the granite counter of the island in the center of my kitchen. I glanced around the rarely-used space, noticing the fine layer of dust on the barren countertops that needed wiping. I was usually the one who cleaned the house because I was the one who never went out, and over the years, I seemed to have developed some kind of compulsion to keep my living space spotless.

But it wasn't the dust that bothered me that moment in the kitchen. My gaze swept the wide expanse of dark green granite, broken up only by a pure white, spotless stove. In mortal homes, I knew that counter space like this would be crowded with all sorts of food preparation supplies. There'd be knife sets, spoons, cutting boards, appliances of all kinds, food in baskets or left on the counter. There would be decorations to liven up the room that was used every day and the buzzing energy of humans would be felt within the walls.

In my life as a human, I had been the sole daughter and child to my parents. When I lost my mother, I had to be the one to take care of my father. I would take care of the home and cook for the two of us. As I got older, I began to really take a liking to cooking, and I had plans to maybe find a job somewhere using my cooking skills.

After my death, I held onto cooking for several years, finding solace in the act. After a few decades, however, I soon realized that I could no longer find the joy in cooking, and so gave it up.

I hadn't cooked a meal in over a hundred years, I realized. That thought was a bit hard to wrap my mind around, so I decided to distract myself by digging into the refrigerator for a bag of blood.

I noticed, as I reached in a grabbed one of the pint-sized plastic bags, that we had about one week's worth of blood left. My fangs descended from their sheaths just at the sight of the thick red liquid, and I didn't hesitate to sink them into the plastic of the bag, puncturing it as if it were a mortal's flesh. The blood, sweet and sticky, flowed out of the bag and into my mouth, and I swallowed every red drop.

Drinking human blood from a bag was a strange sensation. I didn't get the satisfaction of seducing the human that was to be my meal. Humans were soft, warm, and smelled just delectable. I had hated biting other people when I first turned, but quickly learned that if I weren't able to adapt, I'd quickly die.

When I was half-way through a second bag, I heard the front door open and the jingle of keys. Ana was home, as I could tell by her upbeat whistling. She was very often in a good mood. Actually, in the fifty-or-so years I knew her, I had rarely seen her in a bad mood. Had I seen her grinning face when I got home, I would have ranted to her at length about my day and demanded that I never return to that silly school ever again. Now that my hunger was sated, however, I had calmed down. I still absolutely despised that over-sized convection oven called a high school, but now I could more calmly discuss it with Ana.

I turned to the woman who I'd come to see as family over the years. She was quite the sight to behold: she was tall and lean, with long, strong limbs. Her skin was dark; when she lived, it was a vibrant olive color, though now it held a tint of gray to it. She liked to dress in bright colors, however, to make her skin look more vibrant. She always said that she didn't feel dead, so why should she look it? And the bright coloring was also in account in her hair. She wore it short, but with long bangs that swept to the side. Right now, she kept it died a bright orange that faded into blond at the ends. I thought it looked ridiculous, but Ana loved it to bits.

She walked in with a bounce in her step, swinging her keys on one long finger by the ring. Her grin turned into a toothy smile, and she had her fangs extended for no reason I could see. "Hey, Bellie!" she greeted me in her usual cheery tone. "How was your first day of school?" Before I could answer, she let out a bite of laughter.

"Horrid," I responded dryly. Ana's lips, covered in lipstick the color of red wine, puffed into a mocking pout, and I narrowed my eyes at her. "I refuse to return that despicable place."

Ana just shook her head and walked over to the refrigerator for a bite. "You've been there for one day, Bells," she said over her shoulder. "Give it a week, at least."

I groaned aloud at the very thought. "No way in Hades will I agree to going for a week. I'm not going to put on a show for a crowd of people that I'd rather sink my fangs into!" I nearly snarled my words, letting the frustration and anger I felt out with every breath. As I spoke, Ana had retrieved a bag of blood and closed the refrigerator to lean against its stainless steel door.

She smiled at my outburst. "I haven't seen you this worked up in a good long while," she said as if I had just accomplished a great feat, and in her eyes, perhaps I had. A good long while to a vampire over a thousand years old, just as Ana was, certainly counted for a very long time indeed.

I just stared at her, speechless, as she ran her tongue over her fangs before she sunk them into the bag. I shook my head and spoke while she had her mouth full. "I'm not going back there," I said stubbornly. "I cannot, just cannot, make friends with those humans! Not when I want to eat them."

Ana waved her hand dismissively, which only served to anger me more. How could she be so unconcerned about my discomfort with the high school? She normally never pushed me to do something like this – or at least, hadn't in the past decade. She used to pressure me to go out, but I thought she had given up at last.

Something had prompted her to press me on connecting with people again, I realized as Ana emptied her bag of blood. She tossed it in the trash and smiled at me, her long tongue poking out to catch a crimson drop of blood that pooled in the corner of her mouth. "Bellsie," she said, walking over to me with two long strides and wrapping an arm about my shoulders, "don't be so stressed. Just give it four more days, hm? I'm sure by then, you'll have found the time worth the trouble."

I stared at Ana with exasperation and confusion. I opened my mouth to question her further, but she put a tapered finger to my lips. "Just trust me, sis," she said. "Besides, what's four more days?"

I sighed, giving in. It's not like I couldn't afford the time.


	3. Chapter 3

Through the rest of the night, Ana and I discussed how I could go to school without starving myself. I knew that being around all those mortals wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't constantly on the verge of devouring one. All I had to do was somehow hide the crimson color human blood made my eyes turn.

There wasn't any easy fix. I couldn't wear contacts, as they would just burn out of my eyes. The vampire venom that had turned me permeated every tissue of my body and would just destroy the contacts within a few hours. It would hardly be painless. I couldn't simply wear sunglasses all the day long, as the school's dress code strictly forbade wearing sunglasses indoors, and it was too late for me to claim to be blind.

"I've got it!" Ana said at last with a click of her tongue. "We'll give you bangs!"

"What?" My eyes widened and my mind reeled at the thought. I didn't have bangs – I haven't since I was a very little girl. My hair reached down to my mid-back, where it had lain ever since my turning. When vampires are turned, I learned over the decades, their cells die. This means nails and hair never grow again. Once cut, the hair would stay cut forever. "You are not giving me bangs," I protested to Ana, and I could hear the snarl in my voice.

Ana just grinned. "Calm down, Bella!" she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I won't cut your precious hair!" I calmed a bit at her words, but I wondered what she had planned. I didn't need to ask, however, because she volunteered the information eagerly. "Instead, I'll just put some extensions in your hair and cut them so you have bangs. I'll make 'em really cute, too! You'll look absolutely irresistible!"

I narrowed my eyes at Ana. "Irresistible?" I echoed. I raised my eyebrows at her innocent smile, waiting for an explanation, but I could already figure out what she was up to.

"Don't worry about it," Ana said quickly, getting to her feet. "Come on! Let's get your hair fixed up for the morning!" I sighed as I watched her bound upstairs excitedly and followed, trying not to drag my feet. I was hardly looking forward to this.

And I didn't want or need to be irresistible to anyone at school.

-

I really needed to learn to trust Ana's judgment more, because the next morning was so much easier.

I had a fulfilling breakfast of two bags of blood. Ana and I fed very differently from other vampires, besides the bagged blood bit. Most vampires fed only a few times a month, and older ones could go even longer without blood. This is because most vampires would find their living prey and drink all the blood in one meal. A full-grown human generally had about twelve pints of blood coursing through his veins, and that was plenty of blood to keep a vampire fed for a while. "Vegetarians" could go even longer, because they hunted animals much larger than humans.

The two of us, however, ate very small meals compared to other vampires. I usually drank two pints of blood at a time, and Ana drank only one. This kept us filled for only a day or so, so we had to feed more often. Of course, we could simply drink a lot of blood at a time and feel sated for a week if we wanted, but Ana and I enjoyed having a meal together every day.

With my body fed, I found myself in a far better mood, and gazing at the school didn't incite rage and frustration within my very being. Or, at least, annoyance and disinterest. Though each human did, of course, smell delectable and every vein brought a little inkling of temptation, I was able to ignore it, and my mood that day was much improved. I'd even go so far as to say that I felt cheerful.

My fake bangs managed to obscure my bright red eyes very well while managing to look pretty good. They weren't straight-down bangs, but rather swept across my forehead and over my brow. A few checks in the mirror assured me that, unless someone peered at my face, they wouldn't really see the crimson of my eyes.

Without being distracted and crabby, it was easier for me to interact with humans. I came upon Mike again as I walked up the school's icy steps. He was talking to one of the girls I met yesterday, as well as a new girl. I'd seen her around the school a bit the day before, but didn't catch her name. Then again, I didn't catch many names.

I eased into their conversation, receiving compliments on my new bangs. They were talking about a dance that was coming up in a few weeks. I found little interest in the actual subject, but I was intrigued by the behavior of my companions. The blond girl, the one I hadn't met, seemed to be adamant at letting the three of us know that she and a boy named Tyler were going together. It almost seemed like she was making sure we knew that Tyler was hers, and that I and the other girl could not have him. It reminded me of how vampire mates act around threats, only a little more civil.

The other girl, who Mike called Jessica, quite obviously wanted the boy in question to ask her to the dance. At least, it was obvious to me, but at the same time, I had had the chance to observe humans for a far longer time than these children. I could recognize all the signs that Jessica was flirting with Mike, but he seemed oblivious to her. Rather his focus was on...me.

Oh.

I could tell he found me very attractive. Every time his powder-blue eyes skipped from Jessica to me, his pupils dilated, and his heart rate sped up. His pale cheeks colored just ever so slightly. They were minute details, perhaps details even Jessica was missing, but I couldn't help but notice. This was troubling.

After my turn, I found that many humans found me very attractive, physically-speaking. It was strange, because when I looked in the mirror, I still saw the same plain-looking girl that had always looked back at me. Sure, there were some changes – the eyes, mainly. My skin was pale, hardened, and it gave me an almost statuesque look. After some years, I had come to realize that this look was exotic, even desirable amongst humans.

I ducked out of the conversation quickly, making the excuse that I had to grab some books from my locker before the bell rang. I walked away with perhaps too much haste, but I didn't want to stay around Mike too long. The last thing I needed was some lovesick mortal following me around.

I walked down a covered hallway, a breeze winding through it and rustling my hair. I took in a breath of the air, not feeling the chill it would bring to mortals. I love the scent of the wind, and in Forks, it smelled strongly of the pine forests that surrounded the town. In my long lifetime, as my interest in books, music, food and even speaking to others had dwindled to nothing, I still could stop and appreciate the simple scent of a fresh breeze.

Of course, I smelled the humans surrounding me, but I focused on the freshness of the breeze. I inhaled deeply once more, feeling my lips upturn. There was the damp smell of rain on pine trees, the warm, living scent of animals that I could identify even miles away: elk, deer, black bear, big horned sheep. I took in another breath, meaning to leave after this because the bell rang, but I was suddenly hit with a new scent.

It was distinctly human, specifically male, and indescribably divine. It made my muscles tense, my teeth shift, as if I were about to pounce on prey. I focused my gaze down the hall, where the scent originated, in time to catch a boy walk into one of the rooms down this hall. I recognized him to be the boy I sat by in biology class, and I was intrigued, so I hurried after him to catch a glance before the door closed.

He walked tall, and the thick padding of his winter clothes made him look broader than I remember from the previous day. His skin was almost as pale as that of a vampire's and the redness of his hair did little to alleviate that paleness. I took this all in in the half-second I saw him before the door slammed shut, and then I hurried away before my fangs popped out.

-

I was distracted again that day. Then again, a simple fly buzzing through the room would be enough to distract me from the classes that I took. The teachers varied in their teaching styles, but they all just seemed to drone to me. Besides, I had other things to think about.

No human scent had ever made me react in the way that boy's scent had. Sure, my fangs threaten to pop out around humans when I'm hungry, but I was well-fed that day. But there was also a lasting effect: through each class, I my mind kept wandering back to the boy. In my head, I saw his white skin, no doubt warm to the touch, and I wondered how much his blood would contrast on that skin. I imagined my sharp nails scratching his neck, leaving a little nick, and watching a single red drop leave a crimson trail as it traveled down the contours of his muscles. The thought was nearly arousing, and it stuck with me until lunch.

It was then that I was approached by Jessica. She invited me to sit with her, Mike and her other friends in the cafeteria. I considered turning her down – after all, Mike was going to be there, probably staring at me – and besides, I'd have to force myself to eat food. I didn't, however, even get a chance to give Jessica an answer either way. She excitedly slipped her arm through mine and led me to the cafeteria.

Within minutes, I found myself between Jessica and the other girl from the previous day. She politely re-introduced herself to me as Angela. I was also introduced to Eric, a kind young man who seemed a little too introverted compared to the chatty Jessica, the forward Mike, and that blond girl who seemed a little too wary of my presence. I found out quickly her name was Lauren, and she and Jessica were close friends.

"So tell us about yourself, Bella," Jessica invited with a friendly smile. "Where are you from?"

"Phoenix," I answered tersely.

"What's it like there?" Angela asked me in a quiet voice.

"Hot," I said dryly. Jessica chuckled, but Mike and Eric outright laughed at what I wasn't even aware was supposed to be funny. I had never been to Arizona at all, and I had no idea what it was like. It was hardly friendly territory for a vampire.

"How do you like Forks?" Eric asked me, leaning forward a little.

"It's not so bad," I said honestly, glancing between him and Mike, who seemed to be hanging off my every word. Why was this boy so smitten? "Not much to do, though." I didn't mention that I had lived in Forks for several months already. No one knew that, because I almost never left my cozy little home. In a tiny town such as this, my presence had been entirely unknown.

No wonder Ana wanted me to get out.

"You need to get out and get hiking," Mike piped up. "There's tons of trails, and it's all very exhilarating. Maybe I could take you out some time." He grinned, but my gaze fell to Jessica. I registered the look of shock in her clear, blue eyes, then, for a split second, jealousy as she glanced to me. Before I knew it, though, the look was gone and she had plastered a smile on her face again. It seemed a bit forced.

I smiled politely at Mike and said, "I'm not really an outdoor girl. Pine just irritated my allergies and I'm sure I'd twist an ankle out there. But thanks for the offer." They were outright lies, of course, but Mike wasn't to know that.

Mike seemed put out, and a few moments of awkward silence passed. I could feel Jessica's eyes on me, but I looked down and concentrated on taking a bite out of the juicy red apple Ana had packed in my lunch. I felt absolutely grateful that I had something to occupy my hands and my mouth while this tense moment passed.

Lauren managed to break the silence by bringing up the dance again. She, Angela and Eric seemed perfectly content discussing that while Jessica spoke quietly to Mike. I could hear what they were saying, but chose not to pay attention. I didn't need to get involved in their drama.

My eyes traveled around the cafeteria. The school boasted a whopping three hundred-and-some-odd students, but only about half were present in this room. That was because the school was gracious enough to allow students to leave the campus for lunch. It seemed many kids preferred to look for food that was actually fit for human consumption, I thought as I glanced at Jessica's bought lunch.

I think it was supposed to be a meatloaf, but it looked more like a gray brick sitting in a runny pool of still grayer liquid. Pale green and orange spots dotted the sides of the loaf, making it appear diseased, and the layer of "ketchup" on top looked more akin to something a baby would spit up. It was served with a side of out-of-the-can green beans that seemed to sag with depression and some instant mashed potatoes that looked closer to soup. There was no wonder Jessica wasn't eating a bite of it.

I glanced away from the tragedy that was school cuisine as I heard the cafeteria door open. I looked to see who had arrived rather late to lunch. I felt myself tense up and my stomach do a flip when my good-smelling boy walked in. I could almost smell him from where I sat, and was tempted to get up and move closer to him. In fact, I'm pretty sure my being hemmed in by Jessica and Lauren was the only thing keeping me in my chair.

My mind swirled with questions. Why did this boy attract me so? Why did he smell so different from everyone else? Or, perhaps a better question, was why did his scent affect me in such a radical way?

I watched him as he turned and moved over to a set of vending machines set in a corner. He bought a soda and some packet of something and left. My eyes never strayed from him until the doors closed behind him, and only then did I realize someone was talking to me.

"Earth to Bella!" Jessica said, waving a hand in front of my face. I blinked several times in confusion and looked at her, then Lauren beside me when she laughed.

"What were you staring at?" Angela asked, her dark eyes searching the area where the boy had been.

"She was watching Edward Masen," Jessica said with a roll of her eyes. "You really shouldn't bother. He's completely undateable."

"He most certainly is," Lauren agreed. There was a darkness to her tone that surprised me. It was subtle, so subtle that I doubt even her own friends noticed it. When she spoke again, however, the tone was gone. "I mean, look at him," she said, more lightly now. "He's a mountain of total nerd. Who would want that?"

"He's also really creepy," Jessica said, putting the smack-talk in stereo. "He'll just sit and stare at people, like he's got some kind of problem with everyone."

"I know, right?" Lauren said with a shake of her head. I glanced to Angela and Eric, to find them sitting quiet. Angela looked uncomfortable while Eric seemed like he wanted to say something, but probably couldn't muster up the courage. Mike, too, seemed uncomfortable with this talk, and he quickly broke into a conversation with Eric about hiking.

My lips curved down into a slight frown. I had been in this same situation before, being stuck in the middle of one of these unpleasant little chats. It was in the early 1960s while I was living in southern Louisiana and Ana had dragged me to a soiree full of mortals. I was reluctant to go, squeezed into a skirt that was too short for my liking. I was sitting between Human I Didn't Know A and Human I Didn't Know B, and they were chatting to me about the repercussions of this new "disturbance" in society that was starting to be known as the Civil Rights Movement.

It was a genuinely interesting topic, but these women seemed more concerned about their ignorant fears of sharing doors and drinking fountains with blacks rather than anything mildly intelligent. But the conversation took a turn for the catty when a stick of a girl arrived to the party.

She was tall, awkwardly tall for a woman, and gangly. She wore thick coke bottle glasses that would constantly slide down her too-straight nose and her black, wiry hair seemed to stick out in all directions. She looked like a sad puppy lost in a frightening crowd, and I felt some inkling of pity for the creature. My companions didn't, of course, and they quickly started ripping into the poor soul, pointing out her chaotic hair, the faint red scars left by acne on her gaunt cheeks and the dreadful yellow and black plaid poodle skirt she wore.

I didn't like it then, but sitting here and listening to these humans rip on this young man named Edward Masen really seemed to push my buttons. I felt the urge to stand up for him, someone I hadn't spoken more than ten words to, but I bit down on my bottom lip to keep the angry words from coming up. I didn't want to act rash.

I waited a few minutes. Jessica and Lauren seemed to have exhausted everything they wanted to say about Edward Masen, and Angela managed to sneak into the conversation and bring up the dance, which got Lauren talking. I caught Angela's eye and gave her a small grateful smile when no one was looking, and her rosy lips turned up as well.

"Oh, man!" I said suddenly, hurrying to gather my things as if I were in a great hurry. "I just forgot I need to check out some textbooks at the library!" I sighed with fake-yet-convincing frustration.

Jessica gave me a sympathetic smile. "You better go get them," she said, glancing at her cell phone. "You've only got ten minutes."

"I know," I groaned, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. "See you guys later."

"I can show you where the library is," Mike said, standing as I did and getting in the way of my chosen escape path.

I think my bangs covered the glare in my eyes, but I know he saw my frown. "No thanks, Mike," I told him firmly and pushed passed him. I gave one last, small wave to the table as I walked away, then hurried out of the cafeteria as fast as a human could. I was, after all, supposedly in a hurry.

I was unsure of where to go. I only had ten minutes, so I couldn't just dodge off-campus. I supposed I could have just walked over to my car and sat in there for a few minutes, but I'd have to pass by the cafeteria's big bay windows to reach it. The library was in the opposite direction, and my lunchroom companions would see that I wasn't being truthful.

I could have gone around the cafeteria, but, because some of the area behind the building was blocked off by fencing and such, it would take me a good chunk of the time to walk that way. I also didn't particularly want to pass by the three Dumpsters back there. I couldn't head towards my next classroom, either, as that path would take me in front of the cafeteria windows as well.

I sighed a very long sigh. I could just head to the library, but it seemed so pointless. Even still, it was better than just standing there, so I forced my feet to take me in the direction of the library, for the second time in my two days in school.

There were less students in the library than the previous day. There was a large cluster of children towards the back, checking out textbooks, but many of the tables towards the front were empty. I glanced at the empty tables, but passed them up to browse the bookshelves.

My gaze passed over the rainbow of book spines, hardly seeing the titles. I hadn't read a full book in many years. Once upon a time, I had been an avid reader, eating up pages and words as if I were starved of them. Over the long decades, I suppose my passion had slowly trickled down to nothing. It saddened me a little, but I could not muster up the interest to read past a few pages.

I exhaled a sigh and inhaled again, and I stiffened. That scent came to me once more. I looked around urgently for a few minutes, but shook my head. It would be more efficient to follow my nose.

I found Edward Masen once more. He was in one of the aisles, leaning against one bookshelf while he flipped through a particularly old book. It wasn't as old as me, of course, but it looked like it had been knocking about this library for quite some time.

It was probably due to my urgent approach, but Edward looked up at me at once. Before I knew what I was doing, I brushed my bangs out of my eyes. I only registered my mistake when the boy met my gaze with surprise.

I quickly looked away, kicking myself for such a dumb mistake. He saw my eyes, my crimson eyes. He saw, and he'd wonder, and I would have a problem on my hands. He might start asking questions, poking around, trying to see what I was-

"Cool contacts," Edward said, interrupting my panicky thoughts. I turned my gaze to him once more, and I saw his thin lips had turned up into a crooked smile. "You don't see realistic ones very often."

I couldn't help but smile, relieved. Of course he would think I was wearing contacts! Most humans would try to find a logical reason for something they couldn't understand. I almost wanted to laugh. "Thanks," I said to him. "They were pretty expensive." I paused, glancing down at the book in his hands. "What are you reading?" I asked him, wanting to keep this conversation going, though I was hyper-aware of the quickly-depleting time.

"_The Great Gatsby_," he answered, glancing down at pages the color of aged cheese.

He didn't say anything else, so I said the first thing that came to my head: "I've never read it." That was true. By the time that book was published, I had lost interest in reading.

"You should," he said, gently closing the book. The spine crinkled softly with the movement. "It's a good read." He smiled again, and I had the odd urge to touch him. I just wanted to place my hand on his chest, feel the heat of his large living body. I was not put-off by the thought of his soft, flabby flesh beneath my hand, but rather intrigued by the idea.

I didn't realize I was just staring at him until the bell rang, snapping me out of my trance. He looked uncomfortable, and no doubt he would be. I was probably staring at him like he was a piece of meat. "I guess it's time for biology," I said awkwardly.

"Well, shall we?" he asked. He looked reluctant to ask the question.

I gave him a reprieve. "Go on," I told him. "I wanted to check out a book." I gently picked up_The Great Gatsby_, opening the book and glancing at the first page while Edward walked away.

Even after Edward left, his scent still lingered in the air to tease my senses. I didn't know what it was about that boy, that awkward teenager that attracted me so thoroughly. It certainly wasn't the usual attraction I'd feel towards humans – that dealt mainly with my wanting to drain them of their blood. There was something else about Edward, something more.

I'd have to ask Ana about it. But first, I had a book I needed to check out.


	4. Chapter 4

There were times in my life that I truly did appreciate Ana's uncanny ability to disappear for days at a time. These periods would give me time alone while Ana could be out and about, no doubt visiting clubs and bars and other mortal hotspots. She was a very social person, even given her age, a time when many vampires would have grown tired and bored of the world.

Today was not one of those times, however. I had raced home in my car, once again breaking speed limits and possibly putting someone's life in danger. I was eager, excited even, to discuss the Edward situation with her. I wanted to get her view, tinted with all the experience her years have awarded her, and see if there was some sort of significance.

I admit, I wanted there to be significance to all this. It would be exciting, to say the least.

But alas, when I bolted inside, calling Ana's name, I was disappointed to find only a note on the refrigerator saying she'd be gone for a while and for me to "have fun". I didn't know what she meant by that, and I didn't care. My disappointment ran deep, and for a split second, I wanted to scream. Instead, I retreated to my bedroom to sulk and grumble.

I walked into my ten-by-fifteen-foot space, dropping my backpack by the door and sitting down stiffly on the plain white futon pushed into a corner by the window that looked out on an ignored backyard. By all definitions, my room was plain and bare. I had only this futon, a dresser for my meager collection of clothes, and an oak antique desk that belonged to Ana. I never used the desk, however, and sometimes even forgot it was there.

No knickknacks adorned any surface, and my walls were barren of any pictures. This was how my bedroom had looked decades, no matter what house or apartment Ana and I lived in. I had lost interest in fitting out my room long ago. It had never bothered me before – after all, having a bunch of things made it harder to move, and really, I just didn't care for material objects.

My crumby mood brought on by Ana's disappearing, however, no doubt colored my perception of the room. It almost seemed depressing in there, and the air felt thick and stifling. I found myself itching to get out, very out, like take-a-run-in-the-woods out.

With the thought on my mind, I was downstairs and out the front door in the blink of an eye, then in my car in another. I knew I could just run to the edge of town and delve into the woods, but there was a good chance someone could see me. Even vampire-dashing to my car like that was foolish; I hoped no one was watching me when it happened.

I flew down the quiet streets, weaving around the occasional other car like a pro race car driver. I heard the angry honks, but didn't register them as I sped along. My mind was only on getting to the edge of town, where I could be alone and free.

I abandoned my car along the shoulder of the road that winded through the damp, green forests, and I almost forgot to take the keys out of the ignition. I paused, gazing into the darkness between the trees, and I took in a deep breath. Out here, with the trees and animals all around me, I just lost myself in the glorious scent of the woods and dashed right in.

I sprinted through the woods freely, jumping off thick branches and mossy rocks. I bounded through clearings and over fallen trunks. My energy only seemed to grow with all this excursion, and I found myself laughing aloud. It had been far too long since I had enjoyed a good romp through the forest!

I went on like this for a long time. I finally came to a rest in a small little meadow, sitting down on the ground. The grass beneath my legs was long dead, yellowed and hardened. Winter-hardy weeds were the only green things growing, sprouting up between dead stalks. I could smell the rot of dead plant life beneath the surface of the grass I sat on.

But even in this ugliness, I felt perfectly at peace. I tended to be happiest when I was alone. I suppose that was a trait I had picked up after my turning, and after living with my creator for so long.

My mind shied away from the very thought of my maker. It was not a subject I liked thinking about, and I certainly wasn't going to spoil the wonderful mood being out here had giving me. I shook my head and instead laid back, gazing up at the white sky between the tall trees overhead. All around me I heard the sounds of the forest: the trees swaying in wind far stronger dozens of feet up; the skittering and scouring of small animals bounding through the edges of the meadow; the buzzing of insects in the trees, burrowing deep into the wood; deep voices in the distance.

Wait. Voices in the distance? My body tensed and I sat up, focusing on the sound. The voices didn't sound too close, but they still disturbed me. I didn't want to be around people at this time. I stood up to leave, but I caught that scent on the breeze that wound through the trees, and I immediately followed it.

Because of the dense clustered of trees and other greenery, sound and scent doesn't travel well in the forest, and I quickly found the originators of said sounds and scents not very far away. Indeed, there was Edward Masen, in the flesh. He was hiking along the beginnings of a trail with a shorter dark-skinned boy.

I didn't know who the boy was; he didn't go to Forks High, and that was the only high school in town I was aware of. He looked young, with boyish features to his face. His black hair was quite long, down past his shoulders, and he wore it down and loose. As they neared my spot, where I had hidden myself behind a big tree trunk, I caught his scent, and while he did smell pretty good, there was something off about it that put me on edge.

I followed, hidden, and watched them for a while. They were talking about a new "project" the other boy was taking on, and by the sounds of their conversation, it had to do with a car. I noticed that Edward wasn't wearing glasses, and that he was eating trail mix from a plastic bag. It looked home-made, and-

-and why did I care? Honestly, some mortal eating trail mix had never been the focus of my attention before. Yet here I was, slinking behind trees and rocks, watching this pudgy boy as he listened to his friend. I shook my head at myself. There was something significant about this situation, but I had no idea what it was. I wouldn't be able to find out until Ana came home, whenever that would be.

I was about to leave, to return to the quiet of my house, when I heard Edward speak up: "Hey, Jake, remember that girl I told you about yesterday?"

"Yeah," the boy, Jake, said, his dark eyes on the path ahead.

"I talked to her today, in the library," Edward said coolly.

"Does Eddy have a crush?" Jake asked mockingly, laughing lightly and he hit Edward in the shoulder lightly. Edward grunted and shook his head.

"She's strange," he said, and I glared at him. Strange? I think I was rather close to normal, all things considering.

"She wouldn't be the only one from Forks who's strange," Jake said and laughed again.

Edward shook his head. "Jacob, listen to me. She's strange. Cold." I didn't like the way he emphasized that last word, and by the way his friend's smile vanished and his shoulders tensed up, he didn't either. I wondered when the hell Edward had managed to touch me and realize that yes, my skin was cold to humans. I mean, I would have felt it.

"You don't think she's-"

"I don't know." Edward's brow furrowed, and the frustration was plain in his voice. "It's hard for me to figure her out. It's like there's some kind of block, a wall, that's stopping me from reading her."

I stopped breathing and went very still. What was he saying? "Reading" me? A "wall"? Part of me wanted to run out and ask them what they were talking about, but I knew better than that. The way they were talking – it's like they knew, or had a clue, that I was a vampire. And that was very bad news, if it was true.

Jacob stopped walking and put a hand on Edward's shoulder, making him stop too. "Edward, if what you're saying is true—we can go home and ask Dad. He might know something."

Edward nodded, looking his friend plain in the face. He seemed reluctant to say these next words, and when they left his mouth, I felt a chill for the first time in two centuries: "Jacob, her eyes were red."

Jacob was silent for a moment. "Let's get home and talk to Dad," he said, and they both turned and went back the way they came.

I stayed put for a long time, well long after the boys had left. Gradually, with the longer my mind dwelt on the subject, a fear gripped my chest. I didn't know who this Jacob was, or who his dad was, and for all I knew, they could be vampire hunters. And even If they weren't, their knowing of me was still a direct threat to my life.

I had to get home. I had to find Ana.


	5. Chapter 5

I laid very still on the futon in my room, waiting. Ana was on her way, thankfully. I had finally managed to contact her when I found a pre-paid cell phone in a drawer in the kitchen that had her phone number programmed into it. She had never told me about this cell phone, and I only found it after any sense of my calm had gone away and I was frantically searching every nook and cranny of the place for a clue as to where Ana had gone.

It was hard to believe that after only two days at this high school, our cover had been blown. I knew attending was a very bad idea. I never should have let Ana make me do it. If knowledge of our vampire nature got out, those humans would either try to run us out of town, or attempt to kill us. And that much commotion would certainly get the attention of the Volturi.

I shuddered at the thought. I did not want them to get involved. I resolved myself to the fact that we'd have to move. Perhaps I would go and pick up some boxes later.

I glanced at the clock. It had been nearly two hours since I called Ana. She said she was just in Port Angeles. It would only take an hour for her to get home by car – even less by foot – and she should just be here by now. I hated waiting like this. I hadn't felt this stressed in a while, and when I sat up to stretch, my muscles felt sore.

I heard the door open downstairs, and I raced down in the blink of an eye. Ana was just closing the door as I came to a halt beside her, trying not to let my panic show. She took one look at me and gave me a hug, a real, warm hug. I wrapped my arms around her in return, glad to have her back here.

When she pulled away at last, she asked, "Isabella, what's gotten into you?"

I stared at her for a moment, dumbstruck. I had told everything on the phone earlier. Could she not see that was what had gotten into me? "We're on the verge of being discovered," I said plainly, and I heard the highness of my voice. I was still in panic mode.

Ana shook her head and smoothed down my ratty hair affectionately. "You worry way too much, dear."

"I think I'm worrying a good amount right now," I responded urgently. "We're going to have to move—I'll get some boxes—or maybe you should-" I started to turn away, but Ana held onto my arm and I went quiet and met her crimson gaze.

"Bella," she said sternly, "you're worrying way too much. You said you heard two boys talking about this, right? Boys from your school?"

"Edward, yes, but his friend-"

Ana shook her head. "You have nothing to worry about, especially with these!" Ana pulled a small opaque plastic box from her purse and handed it to me.

I gazed at the box, unsure of what it was or what it held. "And what will this do?" I asked flatly.

Ana chuckled. "They're contacts."

I looked up at her warily. "Contacts don't do well in vampire eyes," I reminded her.

"I know that," she said with a dismissive wave. "These are special. They're made for vampire eyes." My eyes widened, and I looked down at the box again as Ana went on. "They aren't really meant for long-term use, though. The venom will break them down, but they'll last longer than any other contacts on the market. Bastien said they last around eight hours before you start to notice any irritation. And he gave me a whole month's supply, so we'll be pretty good for a while."

I nodded, listening, but feeling a weird sense of giddiness. I had a new disguise – a real one – and this knowledge helped me calm down greatly. I could almost kiss that scientific friend of Ana's. "Tell Bastien I said thanks," I said and zoomed up to the bathroom to try the contacts on.

-

I walked into my third day of school with my head held high. I wasn't wearing my fake bangs, but I certainly had my contacts in. I still wasn't used to having something actually on my eye, and I had to resist the urge to rub at them. Even still, I couldn't resist the silly grin that played at my lips.

I hadn't been able to look into a mirror and see chocolate brown eyes stare back at me in two centuries. The contacts almost made me look alive again. Upon seeing my reflection for the first time, I had felt an odd mix of emotions ranging from relief to giddiness to sadness and sense of loss. Had I still had the ability, I would have cried.

I wore my first pair of contacts during the night to see how long they would last. Eight hours seemed to be the average time, but I guess my venom was a little stronger, and I only made it six hours before I felt my eyes start to grow itchy and burn. I popped the contacts out quickly then, to avoid anymore discomfort. I had a second pair with me that day at school, to change at lunch. I was very ready for school. Or almost.

I wondered how Edward would react to me. Would these contacts be enough to squash the suspicions he had? Ana seemed to think so, but I wasn't so sure. After all, he mentioned how I was "cold" and how he couldn't "read" me. I recalled how he had mentioned how good my "contacts" were yesterday, then remarked to his friend about my eyes being red. If he was very convinced about my vampire nature, then these contacts may only prove to strengthen his thoughts.

I started to worry, but tried to push that worry away. There was nothing I could do about it now, save go back home and hide forever. Which was always an option.

I felt my confidence deflate, and I nearly turned back, except I heard Mike call my name. I tried not to groan, and turned toward the call with a smile. Mike was standing near some lockers with Eric and another boy I didn't know. I waved over to them, and Mike waved me over.

As I walked up to them, Mike introduced the other boy as Tyler, and I recalled that was the boy Lauren had mentioned. I glanced Tyler over briefly. He wasn't bad-looking, and I could see where any human girl might find him attractive. I also noticed how he was looking at me, and I tried not to sigh.

After the introduction, I quickly excused myself from the group, relying on needing to stop by my locker before class as the excuse. I retreated swiftly and ducked down the hall of my first class.

The rest of the day went pretty much the same as the previous day. I sat with the same group at lunch after changing out my contacts, where we discussed how lame English is and the possible implications of not reading the book we were assigned. It was a pretty big waste of forty-five minutes, and I was distracted with anticipation of the coming class that I shared with Edward, so I hardly remember a thing that was said.

At last, the bell rang, and I made my way to biology. Time seemed to be moving more slowly, and every step seemed to take longer. I resisted the urge to speed to my class – that would definitely attract some attention to me – and finally got to the door just as Edward did.

We locked gazes for a moment, and I tried not to think that my contacts might have slipped and shown some of the crimson of my eyes. His gaze seemed to search mine, and I forced a smile. "Hey there," I said to him, sounding casual. "How are you?"

"I'm well," he answered. "And yourself?"

"Fantastic," I said flatly. "I can't deny how elated I am to read For Whom the Bell Tolls."

I relaxed when his lips curved into that crooked smile that I found so endearing. He held the door open for me, and I walked in, relaxing. So far, it seemed he wasn't very suspicious, but at the same time, it's not like I could read his mind.

This reminder had me on edge again, and I recalled the conversation he had with his friend in the forest the day before. Had he spoken to Jacob's father? Did Jacob's father have any information on us vampires, or was he just some crazy old man hung up on the legends? And what would Edward do with the knowledge of vampires should he have it?

I found myself unable to focus on the lecture, as usual, and instead glanced to Edward often without making myself obvious. He seemed relaxed, listening intently on the subject of cellular replication. Though I knew it would only distract me, I made myself breathe, just in case Edward noticed I wasn't. I couldn't afford him getting any more suspicious than he already was.

But with every intake of air, I caught his scent, that indescribably glorious smell that drove me up the wall. I felt my fangs shift in my mouth and an odd sense of warmth go down my chest and into my belly. Once again, I found myself wanting to touch him, to put my hands on his body, to have our bodies be touching intimately.

I shook my head, trying to push these thoughts out of my mind. I had to focus on the problem at hand, not what my groin was telling me, but I could hardly stand just sitting here and smelling him. Part of me wondered if this was what it was like to be in heat. I had no idea why Edward had this affect on me, as no other mortal had, and I realized I hadn't yet talked to Ana about this issue.

By the time class was over, I was just barely holding onto my sense of reason. I was about three inhalations away from jumping Edward's bones, and I was going to hurry out of class as soon as I could when I heard Edward ask, "So where are you from?"

I tried not to let on how tense I was when I answered, "I'm from Phoenix." I saw the surprise register in his eyes, and I knew I should have just said somewhere else – anywhere else, honestly. "I didn't really go out much," I said in explanation for my paleness.

"I can't imagine many people would," he said. "I mean, you pretty much lived in the hottest state."

I nodded my agreement, thankful he'd managed to work out for himself why I was so pale. Or I hoped he had. I had never wished for telepathy as hard as I had at that moment, while at the same time trying to stop myself from throwing myself at him. I was never to torn in my long life, and I wanted to just get away from him when he said, "Maybe we should hang out sometime."

My mind was simultaneously screaming _YES_ and _NO, _and for vastly different reasons. Another part of my mind was justifying that his willingness to spend time with me was a good sign that he didn't think I was a vampire, while another was wondering if he'd lead me into a trap. I was so confused and torn by all of this that I just spat out the first thing that came to my mind, which was, oddly enough, "I have a dentist appointment soon."

I'm sure I looked at dumbfounded by my words as he did, but I quickly turned and left without another thought. I just couldn't take it anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

I didn't bother to stay for gym class; I had far too much on my mind, and I had to talk to Ana. I realized I had forgotten completely to speak to her about how Edward made me feel yesterday due to the more pressing matter of him discovering us. I just hoped Ana hadn't taken off again. I don't think I could take another day without knowing, and perhaps having a way to combat the effect.

For the third day in a row, I raced home at a breakneck pace. I knew that if I kept this up, sooner or later I'd get a ticket for speeding. But, for the third day in a row, I had a damn good reason to drive at this high speed. I wondered if any other high school student had to bother like this, or if it was just a vampire thing.

I ran inside when I got home, calling out, "Ana, you better be home!"

A chuckle from upstairs alerted me to her presence, and I raced up and into her room. She was sitting on her king-sized four-poster bed, dressed in a bright pink tank-top and loose gym shorts, watching some drivel on her flat-screen television that took up a good portion of the wall across from her bed. Unlike me, Ana very much loved material possessions, especially if they happen to be impractical and absurd. She had not only insisted on buying that very expensive bed, which she didn't even need, but also had to cart it with us every time we moved.

She looked over at me with a silly grin. "Skipping school today, are we?"

"We need to talk," I said, deadly serious. I'd hoped my tone would help to persuade Ana to actually show some concern, but I should have known better than that.

"How's Edward?" she asked in a sing-song voice as she turned off her television.

I rolled my eyes at her inquiry. "I think we may have gotten him off our track, but there's something about him I want to talk to you about." Ana patted her bed beside her for me to sit down, and I followed her direction. "There's something strange about Edward."

"Strange how?" she asked, pulling her knees up to her chest. She looked like a high school girl who was about to learn her best friend's secret.

I paused, trying to find the words to describe just how Edward made me feel. It was hard to even sort out my thoughts about him to focus properly, so I just said, "He smells so good that I want to jump on him."

I knew Ana would find that absolutely hilarious and expected the burst of giggles I got from her. "I've been waiting fifty years for you to say that!" she said. I looked at her, dumbstruck. What did that even mean? "So tell me about him! Is he cute? Will you go out?"

"What?" I was absolutely astounded by her questions. "No! Why would you even ask that?"

Ana shook her head at my utter shock. "Oh, Bella! You should hang out with him."

"No!" I sighed. "Ana, he's the one who's suspicious of us being vampires, remember? This is not the person for you to match me with!"

"So you say now," she muttered, but grinned. "You should invite him over!"

I could not believe the words coming out of her mouth. "I think living so long has made you crazy," I said. "I can't invite him over anymore than I can spend time with him alone. He'll find out we're vampires for sure!"

"Or you can prove to him we aren't," she said pointedly. "We'll make it look like we're normal humans. I'll get some food and stuff for the kitchen—oh! I'll have to buy some appliances, huh? Humans keep those in there. And we'll have him over for dinner!" She jumped up, excited now, and I just stared at her, slack-jawed.

"Ana," I spoke up, but quickly realized that I had lost her. She was absolutely set on having Edward over for dinner, and was already getting dressed to go shopping.

I sighed and shook my head, knowing I was no less confused about this whole situation. Ana hadn't explained a thing, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get any information from her in this state. I'd have to wait until her excitement had run its course, and there was no way to tell how long that would take.

I felt her hand on my arm, and then I was pulled to my feet and down the hall. "Come on, Bella!" Ana said as she pulled me downstairs. "We're going shopping!"

Several hours and hundreds of dollars later, I stared at the kitchen, transformed from its previous unused and drab state to that of new, shiny stainless steel accented with sky-blue handles or feet and a matching set of towels, wall hangings and a table setting for the new dining room table that would arrive the next day.

Ana delightfully took every dish and appliance out of its box and found the perfect place for it all in the cabinets or on the counters or on the wall. I stayed out of her way and collected the user manuals for every appliance, since I knew I'd be the one cooking this supposed meal that I was hoping I could persuade Ana to not have.

I wondered if I'd even need all of these things to cook a meal – after all, neither of us hardly knew what these things did, and I wasn't even sure if the average mortal kept every single appliance on sale in their homes. I was only certain of the use of the knives, bowls and spoons, and I was sure that was all I'd need to cook anything. Then again, times had changed since I last cooked anything, and perhaps the foods now available to the average human needed special equipment to cook properly.

I worried over this to avoid worrying over bigger issues, like if Edward managed to find all the proof he'd need to rally up a vampire-hunting mob. Instead, I focused my mind on what I would even cook for a human. The last thing I had cooked for anyone was a pheasant roasted on a spit over a fire, smothered in a herbed paste and served with a sauce made of blackberries and raspberries. It used to be the special dinner I would make for my family on Christmas, and it was my last attempt at cooking and enjoying food before I gave up.

A sense of sadness passed over me as I thought about the last time I cooked. I remembered the almost gleeful look on my creator's face, and how that had seemed to be the final nail on the coffin that was my mortal life. My mind then reeled from the memory, and I let out a sharp breath. I didn't need to think about that time. It wasn't necessary.

"What's up, Bellsie?" Ana asked, and I guess she heard me. I looked over at her, and she was peering at me with concern.

"Just thinking," I said, idly ruffling through the user manuals in my hand. "I haven't cooked in quite a while."

"Were you thinking about Lenora?" she asked, and I nearly flinched at the name of my creator. I nodded silently, keeping my eyes downcast. I heard Ana walk up beside me and I felt her arms around my shoulders. The corners of my mouth lifted slightly at the gesture. She didn't say anything, didn't ask me for details or anything like that. She just hugged me.

Of all the people in the world, Ana knew the most about how I was turned besides the actual monster that turned me. She had been the only person I had told, and that was because I trusted her so much. She really was like a sister to me, in this new life of mine. She had been the one to help me get away from my creator a very long time ago.

The night I ran away from Lenora, the horrid vampire who had kept me like a pet for decades, was one of my most vivid memories. It was January in 1841, and while humans were bunked down for the cold winter in Pennsylvania, I had been readying myself for my escape for several weeks.

I had met Ana several years previous, at a little vampire party that Lenora had held. I guess they were acquaintances or something, because they acted like they hadn't seen each other in a very long time. It was at that party that I spoke to Ana, and she asked me something no one had ever asked me, "Don't you want to be free?"

I stared at her with confusion. "I am free," I told her, and I was certain that I was. After all, Lenora had told me many times that I could leave whenever I wanted to. I simply didn't because, though I was fifty years old, I didn't know how to hunt. I didn't know how to feed myself, but Lenora provided, so I stayed with her by my own choice.

I didn't know how to hunt, because the first time I asked Lenora, she looked on me with pity and said, "I didn't want to tell you, dear Isabella, but you can't learn to hunt. You're defective." I quickly learned what she meant by this. Lenora had a special ability in that she could slip her mind into that of another being, human or vampire, and take control of them. She could make a human walk with her into a quiet, empty alleyway where she could dig right into him, and he wouldn't scream or try to run.

I didn't learn until later that not all vampires had this ability. I thought at the time that it was normal for vampires to be able to do that, and the fact that I couldn't meant something was wrong with me. It was Ana, at that party, who told me that not all vampires could control other people. I didn't believe her, though. That fundamental truth would shake my whole world, and I wasn't ready for that yet.

Ana then asked me if Lenora ever controlled me, to which I said I didn't know, but she probably did. I figured that if Lenora had controlled me, I wouldn't remember it. I had hoped she hadn't controlled me, but there may have been an occasion or two where it may have been necessary. Ana seemed intrigued by my answer, asked if I ever had any "blank spots" in my memory and all sorts of other questions that made me uncomfortable to answer. Lenora caught wind of our conversation, and I watched as Ana's expression suddenly went blank and her excited words stopped suddenly. She stiffly walked away from me and out the front door.

It was the first time I had seen Lenora control another vampire, and in all honesty, it terrified me. I was pretty sure at that point that Lenora had controlled me, and in that case, what could I do? It was the first time that I felt trapped. Or rather, the idea that I was free that I had convinced myself of was gone.

But after that party, Ana wrote to me regularly. She was very careful about it. I'd only get one letter every four months or so, and the letters wouldn't come in the mail, but rather be placed in my window. At first, I was worried about the letters being from a stalker, but Ana soon identified herself in the letters, saying she wanted to help me.

I had no way to answer her, but she never asked any questions for me to answer, or said much that I could respond to. She simply told me things, like about Lenora's "strange ability to control people". She described how Lenora's "unique" ability could help her in the hunt, but it seemed that she abused it. I noticed how Ana constantly pointed out how odd, strange, unique and rare Lenora's ability was, possibly so that I would get it through my head that her ability was abnormal. And at some point, I finally believed her.

There wasn't something wrong with me. I could learn to hunt, and therefore be independent, but Lenora let me believe that I couldn't. It was the first red flag.

Ana's next letters described how it seemed like Lenora's gift didn't affect me. Now this I thought very strange. Where would Ana get such an idea? But Ana pointed out that I had told her I didn't have any "blank spots" in my memory, which was a sure sign of being controlled. She also mentioned how it was odd that Lenora had controlled her at the party and made her leave, rather than control me and make me stop talking to Ana.

In this letter, Ana asked one question: "Does Lenora ever control other people to keep them away from you?" It was a question I hadn't asked myself, but the more I thought about it over the months, and the more I observed from Lenora, it did seem that she did everything in her power to keep me isolated from other, except attempt to control me.

Ana's last letter to me was very long, and one of the most important letters I had ever received in my life. In it, she proposed the idea that I, too, had a special gift – that I had a special wall or shield over my mind that stopped Lenora from controlling me. It was this gift that gave me the power to run away, she said, that I could run away, escape, be free of Lenora for good.

I just had to find a way out, and I could meet Ana once again in Canada.

It was on that night in January 1841 that I had decided to put my trust in Ana and make my escape. I didn't know if it would work, or what the consequences would be should my attempt fail. I just knew that I could not live under the control Lenora had placed upon me any longer. It wasn't a mental control, but rather an emotional one, and I had come to the realization that I had to break free.

Lenora and I were hunting. It was hard to find humans out at this time of night in the cold, but if one stayed close to taverns, one would be sure to find a straggling drunk who'd wandered into the cold. It was snowing, and many humans had been talking during the day of a coming blizzard. My thoughts were focused on running away, but I had to wait until Lenora was distracted.

Lenora found her target. It wasn't a straggling drunk, but rather a young man taking care of horses in a stable just behind a tavern. He couldn't have been a day over twenty, with fair hair and a stocky, thick build that was built for taking on harsh winters. He spoke to a horse who had suddenly become agitated, and he had a German-sounding accent.

I watched as he went from softly talking to the horse and patting it on the nose to still and blank. He stiffly stood up and walked over to Lenora and I, who were hidden behind some bales of hay. I watched the boy with regret, knowing that there was nothing I could do to save him, though I imagined projecting this "mental shield" Ana had spoken on onto the boy, knowing it wouldn't work but wishing so hard it would.

Lenora and I both were surprised when the boy suddenly yelped. "Where did you come from?" he asked in surprise, then looked around. "I don't remember walking over here."

Lenora turned on me, her eyes narrowed. "What did you do?" she hissed and grabbed the boy by the arm hard. The boy once again yelped, but this time it sounded pained.

"I didn't," I insisted, but stared as Lenora's fangs slid out. She looked like she was about to attack me, but turned and dug them into the boy's throat faster than he could react and let out a scream.

I didn't waste any time. I darted away from Lenora as fast as I could, faster than any human could imagine. The horses behind me kicked up in a panic, unnerved and spooked by the presence of vampires, and that caught the attention of many people in the saloon. I was long gone by the time they came out to see what the commotion was, and I didn't know if Lenora got away or not.

I just focused on running. I didn't know where I was going, but I headed for the edge of town and, finally, into the forests that lined the town. I delved into the woods, pounding out my fear and my exhilaration into the ground, leaving behind huge gashes in the earth where my feet touched. At last, I was free, and I headed northwards, or approximately north, to get to Canada.

I didn't see Ana again for a very long time. Not knowing where I was going, I quickly got lost in those woods. I learned how to hunt down and feed on animals so I wouldn't starve, and I kept heading north. Or I thought it was north, but I was actually heading mostly southwest.

I was found by a small group of vampires who were passing through the area I was in, and they took me in and helped me to acclimate being an independent vampire. I learned things I should have learned fifty years ago, like how to properly kill a human so they don't have a chance to scream, or to never bite a human and leave them alive, for they would soon turn into another vampire.

I had wondered at that strange thing that happened with the human. I had managed to break Lenora's control over him, and it had really affected her. Through the years, I worked on this ability of mine, which I called a "mental shield", just as Ana had described it. I found I could shield the minds of those around me. It came in handy a couple of times, and I got very good at this new ability of mine. There was an interesting side effect, though – it seemed that for me to shield one's mind, my mind "linked" with his. From that point on, if that person was in a rather close proximity to me, I could "sense" his presence.

I made it my goal to find Ana again, and though it took me almost a hundred years (the woman loved to move around a lot), I at last found her, and we'd been together ever since.

I shook my head at the memories and looked over at Ana, who had finished placing everything. She looked around the kitchen with a satisfied smile, then looked back at me. "How does it look?" she asked.

I glanced over the kitchen, noting how different it looked. Though everything was obviously new, the kitchen seemed more lively, like a family lived here, and I couldn't help but smile. "It looks great, Ana," I told her, and moved to her to wrap my arm around her shoulders. She smiled at me and moved some of my hair out of my face.

"We're going to need food," she said after a few moments of silence. I expected her to go bounding out of the room, car keys in hand, but she shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. "That can wait for tomorrow," she said. "Or until you have a menu picked out!"

"I still don't think inviting Edward over is a good idea," I told her with concern. "I still don't understand why I get so—so flustered around him." I met her gaze with a frown. "Can you please tell me why he's affecting me like this?"

"Fine, fine," she said, moving to the refrigerator. "Let's have some dinner first, and then I'll tell you everything you want to know." There was a mischievous note to her tone that worried me, and I wondered if I'd regret asking about this in the end.


	7. Chapter 7

After getting some blood inside us, Ana and I sat down across from each other in the living room. There was a pause as we just gazed at each other, then Ana took in a breath and asked, "So you find this Edward irresistible?"

I glared at her, and I knew that if I still had blood coursing through my veins, I would have blushed. "It's not like that," I insisted, but who was I kidding? It was pretty much like that. I sighed. "It's like every time I'm around him and I smell him, I just want to touch him. And it gets worse the longer I'm around him." Even then, thinking about it, I could imagine my hands all over his body and I could feel his hands on mine. I wondered how warm his flesh felt.

"Wow, you've got it bad," Ana said, snapping me from my rather exciting thoughts.

I groaned. "Why is this happening, Ana?" I asked. "No other mortal has had that effect on me."

Ana grinned and even giggled a little. "Bella, he's your mate!"

I stared at her for a moment, trying to keep my flare of anger from coming forth. In her life as a human, Ana had been a matchmaker, and she seemed determined to continue that profession even to this day. She had never bothered me about a "mate" but I'd seen her set up friends of hers, some with other vampires and some other mortals. It looked like I was due.

"Ana, if you want to set me up with someone, wouldn't it be easier for me to meet another vampire?" I asked with a shake of my head. Why bother with mortals, anyway? They might not want to become vampires, and besides, they were so fragile.

"Because no vampire we've met has made you feel this way, have they?" she countered.

"Well," I started, but I couldn't finish. It was true. I hadn't felt this way about anyone, mortal or immortal.

She grinned. "He's perfect for you! I knew he would be. I just knew, when I saw him in that bookshop-"

"What?" I interrupted her. "What are you talking about? You've met Edward?"

Ana grinned. "I saw him, Bella. I didn't talk to him. I saw him in that little bookshop in Port Angeles a few weeks back, and I knew just then that he was absolutely perfect for you!"

I narrowed my eyes. "Is this why you had me go to Forks High?" I asked.

She grinned. "That's not the only reason, Bella! You really do need to get out more. I want you to have friends. It was just convenient that Edward also goes there."

I rolled my eyes. "But I still don't understand. He's my 'mate'?"

"He's kind of like a soul mate," she explained. "Vampires have to have mates, too, you know, even if we can't exactly have children. We get lonely and seek companionship just like humans. But most of the time, when vampires who aren't mates enter into a relationship, it usually ends badly."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because we're vampires," she explained with a smile. "It's hard enough being friends with most vampires. Try being the girlfriend or wife of just any one, and you'll have problems." She paused here and bit her lip, like she was deciding whether or not to say something. "That's why vampires who have a lot of vampire friends don't see them too often, and why it's rather rare to find vampires living together in covens. We're just so darn difficult!"

"I see," I said, taking all this in. It was true, I knew. In my travels during my life when I was alone, I stayed with other vampires for only a few weeks at a time. They'd start to get on my nerves, and once I got into a bad fight with a younger male. I almost died in that fight, and quickly learned to reign in my temper around vampires. "But Edward is mortal," I pointed out after another moment to think.

"So were we all at one point," she said. "Sometimes a vampire will find out his or her mate is already a vampire, in which case, all is fine and dandy. But most of the time, a vampire's mate happens to still be mortal, and there lies the challenge."

"Challenge?" My brow furrowed at her words. I wasn't liking where this conversation was going.

"Most vampires will eagerly claim their mates, but humans, especially those who don't know anything about us, will be more reluctant to go along with it. Most humans fear the very thought of vampires, let alone what the real deal is. For you to claim Edward, you'll have to do more than a bit of courting."

"Whoa, whoa," I said, throwing up my hands in a "stop" gesture. "I didn't even say I wanted to 'claim' him! I don't know even know him, and in case you forgot, he's already suspicious of me being a vampire."

"Don't let that concern you, dear," she told me soothingly. "I'm sure all he needs is to get to know you a little better. Then he won't be so on edge."

I looked at her dubiously. "Are you implying we tell him about us?"

Ana just smiled. "He wouldn't be the first human to know about us." I stared at her, incredulous, and was about to voice my protests when she said, "But that'll be your decision. He's your mate, after all."

I thought about that for a moment. I imagined showing Edward Masen my fangs and telling him that vampires exist, but the only outcome I could see was Edward recoiling in fear and running to rally the town against us. I shook my head. "It seems better for everyone involved if I just don't bother," I said, more to myself than to Ana, but she heard me anyway.

"Oh, you'll bother," Ana said with certainty. "You'll see. Edward is going to ignite passions in you that have long lain dormant. I can already see it happening, and I'm not just talking about the, ah, more physical passion you're experiencing right now."

"What other passions are you talking about?" I asked, and was surprised at her answer.

"I saw that copy of _The Great Gatsby_ in your backpack." There was a glint in her eye. "That book came out after you lost interest in reading, right? You haven't read more than an article's worth of literature at a time since the turn of the twentieth century."

"I haven't read it yet," I said, but mostly because I had forgotten about it. A lot had happened between my checking it out the previous day and right then. "But I do want to." I admitted to myself that I hadn't wanted to read a book in decades. Was this interest in that little book that significant?

"See? It's already happening." She laughed. "Don't be afraid of Edward, dear. He's not a threat. Just get to know him, become friends. See what happens from there. And invite him to dinner!"

I sighed at her insistence, but realized she did have a point. Edward did affect me, radically. What did I have to lose in getting to know the boy? But I still thought it was a bad idea to just invite him over into our vampire lair.

Still, my mind was opened to the idea of Edward as my friend. Not mate yet. I wasn't sure how that would work out with a mortal, and I wasn't even sure if I could stand being around Edward for very long. But friend was a good start, and I made a promise to myself to talk to Edward more the next day.

Later that night, I wandered into my room, glanced around, then picked up my backpack where I had thrown it on my way in earlier in the day. I pulled out the copy of The Great Gatsby that I had picked up at the library and flipped it open, skimming over the first few sentences. I sat down on my futon, then lay down, and when I looked up again, I had finished the book and the sky was beginning to get light.


	8. Chapter 8

School was starting to fall into a normal pattern for me. On Thursday morning, I talked to Mike and whoever was with him (that day, it was Lauren and Tyler) outside for a few minutes, then passed through my classes while trying not to look completely bored. Then at lunch, after a contact change, I sat with my usual crowd in the cafeteria and listen to their drivel. I had at one point attempted to track down Edward during the beginning of lunch, but it seemed he had disappeared somewhere. Perhaps he usually went home during lunch, and I was rather disappointed to discover this.

Biology, however, was what I was waiting for. Edward was already there by the time I got in, and I sat down next to him with a friendly smile. He smiled back tentatively, which I rather expected, considering my odd behavior from the previous day. "Sorry about yesterday," I said, deciding to just bite the bullet and get this issue out of the way. "I was stressing about some things at home. I might have come off strangely."

"That's okay," he said, glancing down at his books. I noticed the way a lock of his auburn hair fell in his face, and I caught my hand moving up to brush it back. I sat on my hand to prevent any further unconscious attempt to touch him.

Class started up then, and since he was so intent on listening to the teacher, I didn't bother him with idle chatter. I was continuously distracted by Edward's scent (I was still being sure to act human, after all) and very much caught off-guard when the teacher announced a quiz. Apparently this quiz had been announced two days ago, and all of us students had plenty of time to prepare for it. Except I had spent the entire week in this class focused on Edward in one way or another. I hadn't learned a single thing, nor had I even brought my biology book home; I didn't know a thing about the subject.

I was about to fail a simple quiz in a human high school. Now that was embarrassing.

The quiz took all of a few minutes, and it went about as well for me as I could have figured. I didn't know a single thing about any term listed on the sheet, nor could I have expanded upon any of these answers. I left every question blank.

But the nightmare wasn't yet over. The teacher instructed us students to switch test papers to be "peer graded". What was this madness? What teacher would ever trust students to give each other accurate grading? I glanced around the room, hoping this was some kind of abnormality and I would find confused looked on other kids' faces, but my hopes were dashed as I watched everyone exchange quizzes without a single thought.

"Here, Bella," Edward said, and I looked over at him. He had switched our papers as I was looking away, and I tried not to groan as I watched his expression. His eyebrows rose as he looked at my blank paper, then looked up at me again.

I smiled tightly and made myself focus on the teacher's voice as he read aloud the answers to the quiz. Of course, Edward would have to ace the test. For all I knew, it was incredibly easy that any child with a modern education would have understood. Unfortunately, I didn't have much of a modern education.

I handed Edward back his quiz at the end with an awkward "You did well."

He smiled his cute, crooked smile. "Were you just rebelling against the school, or do you have some trouble with biology?" he asked, his tone light.

"I've never had a good grip on science," I told him.

The bell rang for class to get out, and as I started collecting my things to leave, Edward asked, "Would you perhaps like some help? We could always study together."

The suggestion sent a bolt of excitement through my body, and I immediately imagined the two of us alone together, textbooks open, but ignored as the both of us focused our attention elsewhere. I highly doubt that was the intention of Edward's inquiry, but I thought of it nonetheless, and it certainly influenced my answer when I said, "I'd love that, Edward."

We walked out of class together, agreeing to meet each other in the library after school for a little while. I went on to gym feeling light as air and giddy, and I was hardly bothered by the fact that I had to play so delicately at the game of the day, which happened to be tennis.

It wasn't until I was in the middle of a game, paired up with Mike of course, that I realized the possible consequences of being a very distracted vampire alone with a human who was already wary of said vampirism. I cursed and stopped in my tracks, but I heard the ball zooming towards me. Without thinking, I hit the ball away with my racquet, harder than I should have. The little ball sailed across our court, entirely through another and hit the back wall of the gym with a loud pop sound.

The ten or so people around us who saw stopped and stared at me. I stood stock still, glancing from each face, trying to read beyond the surprised looks. Did they wonder where my strength had come from? Did it cross their minds that I had supernatural strength?

"Dang, Bella," Mike said beside me, and I stiffly turned to him. "You sure got an arm on you!" He laughed, which seemed to catch onto some of the other children around us, and I relaxed for the moment. As the game resumed, I mentally gave myself a kick for slipping up like that, and I reminded myself that I had to be vigilant in how I conducted myself. After all, exposure was one of the worst laws a vampire could break.

The only thing I could think about was how I might slip up around Edward, confirm his suspicions and force Ana and myself to move once again. By the time school was out, and I was slowly making my way towards the school's library, I was just about ready to bolt. In fact, when I saw the library's pale orange double doors, I turned right around to head towards the parking lot. I'd just tell Edward the next day that something came up. There was no way I could-

Bang. I ran right into a mountain of soft, warm flesh and cotton tee-shirt, and took in a deep breath of that heady scent that shattered my thoughts in a second and sparked excitement throughout my body. "Whoa, sorry- Oh, hey, Bella." I heard Edward's voice very close, and looked up into his bespectacled dark eyes, hyper-aware of the way his large hands gripped my shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said, noticing the husky note in my voice. I straightened up and cleared my throat. "Sorry I ran into you like that."

"Don't worry about it," he said with a smile. His hands lingered on my shoulders a touch longer than necessary before he removed them and gestured toward the library. "Shall we?" he asked, and I merely nodded, walking in step with him right up to those pale orange doors.

That little bump into Edward's body left me almost aching to touch him more, but somehow, I managed to push that thought out of my mind and sit down with the boy at a table civilly. Perhaps the other humans in sight helped me retain my self-control.

I calmed down further once Edward started to talk about biology, and dropped words like "mitochondria" and "diffusion" because, honestly, there wasn't a more sobering subject that I could think of. I didn't expect Edward to get right down to business so soon, as most teenagers, and humans in general, liked to chit-chat and make small talk before undergoing a task. Or in place of the task, as some people were wont to do. His actions were closer to that of a vampire.

It helped me to focus more on the reason why we had met in the first place. I managed to push all naughty thoughts out of my mind, or at least to the back of my mind. I took a risk on not breathing, figuring Edward was too focused on the task at hand to notice the lack of my chest rising and falling.

We spent a good amount of time going over the basics of biology, with Edward cracking out the textbook. He was a good teacher, or maybe it was just that I was actually paying attention to the words he was saying, because I was starting to understand this biology stuff, and very well, too.

By the time Edward had paused to stand up and stretch, I had pretty much learned everything that had been on that quiz earlier today, though my head felt a bit like it was full of water from the knowledge I had just dumped on my mind. Even still, I felt good.

"Oh wow, it's already five-thirty," Edward said, glancing at his wrist watch. I glanced out a window and saw that the sun had gone down, with just barely a few minutes of light left. "We should probably get going. The library closes at six."

"And I was just getting started," I said flatly, but grinned at Edward.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you were willing to take on this whole book tonight, sleep be damned," he said, and I laughed lightly. Oh, if only he knew.

We walked out to the parking lot together, and he even walked me to my car. I thought it was a sweet effort, even if in reality, I should be the one to walk him to his car. I'm sure he would have even opened the door for me, if I hadn't been the one to reach the door handle first.

I opened my door, but turned to Edward with a smile. "Thank you, Mr. Masen," I said.

He returned my smile and said without skipping a beat, "You're very welcome, Miss Swanson." I could almost have kissed him for that. I would never have thought such refined manners could come from a teenager, let alone a teenager that looked like he spent more time sitting on the couch than being around people. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Certainly," I breathed, and I was sure we were both leaning ever so slightly closer to each other. I took in a breath, letting his scent wash over me, and I was sure I saw his eyes flicker to my lips for a split second.

We stood like that for a moment, then he let out a breath. "Have a good night, Bella," he said, averting his gaze.

"You too," I said, slipping into the driver seat of my car. He closed my door for me – the gentleman – and I watched him walk across the small parking lot to what I presumed was his car. I raised my eyebrows at the sleek, shiny black Volvo. I could tell it was a new model, perhaps from last year, and I wondered if he was borrowing his parents' car.

The drive home was calm, though my insides weren't. I was still warm with excitement from being around Edward, recalling how he felt in our quick collision earlier that day. He felt as soft and warm as I imagined. Part of me wished Edward didn't have the power to reduce me to a quivering pool of goo, but at the same time, I absolutely enjoyed it.

I was in such a good mood when I got home that I was easily able to deal with Ana's meddling questions and continuing insistence that I invite Edward over for dinner. I spent the night blissfully flipping through my biology book, more reliving my day than actually reviewing what I had learned.

What a week it had been! Just four days down in my high school career. I suppose I could hardly call it boring. And I was looking forward to the fifth day, Friday, when I would again meet with Edward. Perhaps something more would happen between us. Could I risk that, at this stage? Did I truly want to?

I never really got the chance to figure out those answers. By the time the sun rose at seven the next morning, I noticed that there was not a cloud in the sky. The bright sun shone down on chilly Forks, illuminating the colorful houses and cars on our block. It reflected brightly off of the fresh-fallen snow from the night before, and I knew that in an hour or two, the warm sunlight would turn that snow to slush.

But more importantly, that sunlight would cause my skin to shimmer, which humans most certainly did not do normally. Though I could cover up with clothing, my face would be exposed. Even with make-up on, the shimmer would show through. Should I pass even under the slightest patch of sunlight, my face would be aglow, and I would be exposed.

I sat by my window, dressed for school, hoping with every fiber of my being that clouds would come and block the sun. Unfortunately for me, it turned out the whole day was forecast to be a clear, warm day.

Good for humans, bad for vampires.


	9. Chapter 9

I spent the whole day inside, not willing to risk the sun exposure, even for only a few minutes. There was no telling who may be looking out their window or if someone would drive by. I felt caged in this house, however, and it was a strange feeling for me to have. After all, I had spent days, even weeks, at a stretch inside without ever being bothered. I could guess why I felt this way – I wanted to see Edward again.

But what soured my already tart mood was learning the fact that there would be no school the next morning. I learned this when Ana walked into my room gleefully, singing some inane song about the significance of Friday.

"What are we going to do this weekend?" she asked me cheerfully, leaning her long body against the threshold of my doorway. In retrospect, I realize that she was trying to see if I had any weekend plans.

"I'm going to school," I said as if it should be obvious. "That is, assuming the weather allows it." I glanced out my window darkly, my eyes narrowed into a glare.

Ana chuckled, however. "Oh, Bella," she said with a wave of her hand. "There is no school tomorrow or Sunday. It's the weekend! That means no school. I can't believe you didn't know that!"

I stared at her, my mouth agape. "You didn't tell me," I said, realizing that I would have to wait not just one, but three days with anticipation building inside of me.

Ana sighed. "Bella, I wasn't aware you were that out of touch with the world. I was sure you'd met at least one person who mentioned they got weekends off of school." I shook my head and looked away, trying not to let my rising annoyance get the better of me. "We should get out," Ana said after a few minutes of silence.

"Out where?" I asked with a sigh. I would have been content to mope around my room for the next seventy-two hours.

"Let's go out in the forest tonight," she offered, knowing I could hardly resist my favorite thing to do. "We could both use a good run around, don't you think?" She smiled and walked away, already knowing my answer without my having to say it.

Though the plans had improved my spirits, I still had several hours until the sun would go down. I felt restless alone in my room, so I headed out to clean up the house. The problem was, there wasn't much to clean. I had taken to cleaning at night rather than in the daytime, since I went to school, and nothing was dirty enough to clean again.

Not to mention, vampire houses didn't get as dirty as human houses. Vampire bodies are frozen, almost statue-like, whereas a human is constantly changing, shedding old cells (this was Edward's lessons talking). Humans drop hair, leave grease marks on surfaces, cause dust to build up from shed skin cells. Their clothes get dirty after every use. Vampires, conversely, aren't like that. A vampire's house gets dusty much slower, and the dust is different, thinner, easier to clean up with a quick swipe of a cloth. Vampire clothes only get dirty from external forces, such as actual dirt or stains from a meal. We wash clothes less often.

There were no hairs to vacuum up, no smudges to clean off of the windows. I briefly wondered if we could do with a pet. It would certainly give me something to do in these long hours I had.

I walked into the kitchen, thinking I might as well feed now. It could possibly fill in a good two minutes! But upon opening the refrigerator, I was struck in awe by what I saw: instead of only about eight bags of blood laid on the bottom shelf (we needed to get some more), there were other things, like fruit in plastic baskets, vegetables and roots in plastic bags, and raw meat packed in cellophane and Styrofoam.

I stared at the colorful offering of mortal food. I don't know when Ana went to the store, or why she didn't tell me she had, but I didn't dwell on the thought. My gaze flickered from the ingredients in the refrigerator to the now-stocked kitchen and had the strange urge to make something. I didn't even know what I would make – I just wanted to.

I resisted this urge, however, because who would eat what I would make? It's not like Ana or I had much of an appetite for human food. There was also the snag that I hadn't cooked since ovens ran on coal and fire, and I hadn't the faintest idea how to work any of the gadgets Ana had bought. Maybe one day, though, if I made some mortal friends.

That seemed to strike a chord in me, and I realized how very alone I had been in the past months, even with Ana there. I'd go days without even speaking a single word, stretches of time without stepping a foot outside. It seemed no wonder why Ana threw me into school all of a sudden.

I took a deep breath, wondering if it would be weird for me to call Jessica or Angela and make some weekend plans. I had their numbers – they'd given them to me at some point during the week. And it would be nice to having something to do, to be out with people.

I decided it wouldn't kill me to try, and I walked over to the little cell phone Ana had bought me and forgotten to tell me about. It would certainly be great to make friends who weren't as eccentric as Ana.

That night, as Ana drove us to the edge of town, I told her about the plans I had made with Jessica and Angela to go into Port Angeles. They were going to go dress shopping for the dance, and Jessica invited me to come along when I called. I agreed, even though I hadn't yet decided if I was going to go to the dance. I hadn't been to an occasion like that in a long time, and I didn't know how to dance.

Ana seemed almost surprised that I had, on my own, called up some people and arranged to go out with them. "That's great, Bells," she said sincerely. "Port Angeles has such cute shops! I'm sure you'll love it."

"I just hope the sun doesn't come out," I muttered, glancing up at the sky. Towards the evening, clouds had moved in to block out the blue of the sky, and I wanted them to stay there as long as possible.

"According to the news, we're due for a week-long rain-athon," she said cheerfully. "So you'll be covered, Bellsy, don't you worry." I nodded, hoping that was true, but if there was anything to be learned after centuries of observing humans, it was that the weatherman was often very wrong, though he was getting better.

We ran through the forest, at first together, then separately. Even in the dark, I could see every branch, every frond, every moss-covered rock perfectly, and the scent of the forest was more potent in the night. I raced through the trees, feeling the wind whip my hair back, and I kept going until I reached a series of cliffs that dropped right off into the ocean. Looking down into the black underneath, I got the urge to go for a swim. The cold of the water wouldn't affect me, of course, and it had been a while since I went swimming.

I dove in, clothes and all, letting the dark ocean swallow my body and surround me. I stayed underwater for a long time, cutting through the current with long, powerful strokes of my arms. The salt didn't sting my eyes, and the frigid temperatures didn't pierce my skin. I finally surfaced after a while, only to breathe in the salty ocean air and look up into the dark sky.

I met up with Ana in the water, to my surprise. I guessed that she, too, had spontaneously decided to go for a swim. We swam together, racing each other between the cliffs that surrounded the little bay we had found. I enjoyed our time together; we didn't very often do something like this. After all, at some point, I had developed some kind of allergy to the outdoors.

We got out of the water when we both realized the sky was lightening. We didn't hurry in our swim back to the rocky shore, the both of us content in paddling in the water. I felt so relaxed from the night, more relaxed than I had felt in a long time, and I was smiling to myself as we climbed ashore.

I opened my mouth to speak to Ana, to suggest that we do this again tomorrow night, but I heard the crunching of gravel not far down the beach. I saw Ana grow defensive just as I was, and I looked down towards where the sound came from. I breathed in the ocean air, scanning the shoreline, on the lookout for any possible threat. I caught a whiff of a mortal scent, though there was something just a little bit off about it – like it wasn't completely human.

I squinted my eyes, straining to see down the beach. Sure enough, I saw about three bodies wandering slowly towards the two of us. Ana stepped in front of me, almost protectively, as the bodies made their way to us. I heard their voices begin to rise as they approached, and they were certainly male. In moments, I realized that I recognized one of them.

I realized that Jacob, Edward's friend who I observed in the forest a few days ago, even before he saw us. My breath stilled in my lungs as the boy approached with his friends. They were distracted by whatever they were talking about, and didn't see us at first, but gradually their voices died down. They'd seen us, and they were walking over to us.

I was getting nervous, and I jumped when I felt Ana's hand clasp firmly around my upper arm. "We should go now," she breathed in my ear, steering me towards the path that would take us through the woods and back to Ana's car.

"What is it?" I asked as I let her lead me, glancing back over my shoulder towards the beach. The figures in the distance had stopped. I guessed they were watching us retreat.

"I'll tell you later," she said quietly, urgently. "Let's just get home first." Her tone concerned me, but I concentrated on the path before me, gradually moving faster and faster until we had reached our car. Ana drove faster than she ever had before, which was saying something for a vampire.

* * *

I went to meet my friends later that day, my head heavy with the knowledge that not only did werewolves exist, but they were our mortal enemies and Edward was apparently best buds with one.

When Ana and I got home that morning, she was rather agitated, and it took her a moment to settle down in the living room. She seemed full of nervous energy, and seeing her like that had me almost panicking. "Sorry," she said to me distractedly, "but I just can't stand werewolves."

"Werewolves?" I repeated. My eyebrows rose in disbelief.

Ana smiled at me. "You can't possibly find it hard to believe werewolves exist when we do?" she asked with a small laugh, sounding more like herself. "They do, and they're pretty much the best things in nature that can kill us."

I chill ran down my spine. "What do you mean?" I asked, though part of me didn't want to know. My mind went back to that forest, where I witnessed Edward telling Jacob about me.

"Oh, werewolves basically evolved just to combat vampires," Ana said. "Their teeth can bite right through our flesh as if it were as soft as a human's, and they can run just as fast as we can. They're built just for combat with vampires, and if we aren't careful, they can easily get the jump on us."

I nodded, knowing this changed everything. My concerns were no longer about the town rallying up against us with stakes and torches – or, more modernly, guns and more guns. No, now I had to worry that Edward had ousted us to a member of the very species made to kill us. Edward, the boy who seemed to be awakening life within me, was certainly a threat to my very being.

I took a deep breath, and told Ana this. She listened, looking serious, then finally said, "I don't think we have a problem." Before I could protest her words, she raised a hand and said, "That boy – Jacob? - and the others probably don't know about us."

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying desperately to get a grip on this whole problem.

"They haven't transformed yet." I just let my confused stare speak for me, and Ana sighed. "Those boys, they haven't yet become werewolves. I can tell. A werewolf in human form is just absolutely huge, not unlike their animal form. Those boys are still developing. Since vampires don't come through this area very often, chances are that their parents haven't even made the transformation. It only really happens when vampires are around. Those boys might know stories or legends of vampires, but I doubt they really know that we exist."

I nodded, finally beginning to understand, but part of me still felt there was danger in our staying here. Edward told Jacob about me for a reason. If Jacob didn't believe in vampires, then why would Edward have mentioned my red eyes and cold skin? Still, Ana seemed certain we were okay.

I, however, was far more troubled, but I kept my plans to go out with Jessica and Angela. I hoped they would distract me for a little while.

The drive to Port Angeles wasn't too bad. I listened to Jessica go on about Mike, and how Angela should ask Eric out, and how she hoped Lauren and Tyler would go out, and expressed similar sentiments about other male and female pairs I wasn't familiar with. Then, at some point not far from our destination, Jessica asked me, "So what's the deal with you and Edward?"

I looked at her with a tight smile. I didn't want to think about Edward that day, because that would have me thinking about everything else. "Nothing," I said with a shrug.

"Oh, there's something," Jessica pressed as she eased her car off the highway and towards the city. "I saw you two Thursday night. I had to stay late to work on a project for student council, and when I came out to get something from my car, I saw you two in the parking lot." She glanced to Angela in the passenger seat beside her. "He was totally holding her hand!"

Angela twisted in her seat so she could look at me and Jessica. "Are you two going out?" she asked me curiously.

I tried to keep the smile on my face as memories of Thursday night flooded back to me. I remembered everything I felt, and how he felt, and I recalled why I was frustrated in having to wait so long to see him again. I found I wasn't sure how to answer Angela, because, while I knew it was in my best interest to stay far, far away from Edward, I realized that I certainly wanted him in my life.

"I don't know," I said at last. "It's a bit complicated." It was the understatement of the century, and these girls would never understand why.

"Well, if you want my opinion," Jessica piped up, without leaving a pause for me to confirm or deny the desire of said opinion, "I think you shouldn't bother with Edward." I was about to roll my eyes and stop listening, expecting Jessica to go on about Edward like she had with Lauren a few days ago, but her next words definitely held my attention. "He's such a—a misogynist!"

I glanced to Angela with a questioning look, but she seemed as surprised by Jessica's words as I was. "What do you mean?" I asked, recalling how polite Edward had been to me Thursday.

Jessica didn't say anything at first, but concentrated on driving down the narrow road of a small outdoor shopping mall she had driven to. She parallel parked in front of a dress shop and took the time to shut off her car before turning around in her seat to look at me. "I had a crush on Edward for a while last year, and I flirted with him during a class we had together. From what I could tell, I was sure he liked me back, so I asked him out." She looked from me to Angela. "Nothing wrong with that, right?"

"Not at all," Angela said with a shake of her head.

"Well," Jessica continued, looking back to me, "he didn't say no, but he didn't say yes, either. All he said was that girls shouldn't be the ones to as guys out! Can you believe that?"

"What century is he from?" Angela rhetorically asked in disgust.

"You think he's nice, opening doors for girls and all that," Jessica went on, "but really, he just sees us girls as inferior." I tried not to let my amusement show. Certainly, what Edward said was outright rude and offensive, but I had lived most of my life in a time where that sort of behavior was acceptable. In fact, women pursuing and courting men was a very new idea, especially to someone who had lived for two hundred years.

"You don't think he meant it that way, do you?" Angela asked, glancing to me again.

Jessica just shrugged, so I spoke up. "I don't think he meant it to be insulting. I think maybe he was just raised in an old-fashioned home, and he has those old-fashioned ideas."

"He's still a pig," Jessica spat, opening her door. I took that as a cue that she didn't want to talk about it anymore, and climbed out of the car.

I then spent the next several hours hearing about only one thing: the upcoming dance. I thought at first, by the way the two were carefully looking for and trying on dresses, that this was the prom, but it was far too early in the year for that.

Jessica was kind enough to force several dresses on me, saying how each would look wonderful on me. I was reluctant to let her carry on like this, as I was still unsure about going to the dance. I mean, I didn't have anything better to do that night, as I didn't necessarily need a date to go. But at the same time, it seemed that my life was getting too complicated to worry about mortal dances.

Still, I allowed her to have me try on dress after dress, feeling unsatisfied with each one. One dress was far too short for my liking, barely making it past my behind. Another had a neckline that dipped far too low. It was meant to expose cleavage, but I didn't have all that much in the breast area anyway, and it hung off me awkwardly. Another dress was just too brightly colored, and even if I only saw it in my peripheral vision, it still hurt my eyes.

I appreciated the effort, though, and let her know. We went to several dress shops, where this process was repeated for both myself and Angela. I found I very much enjoyed the day out with the two girls, finding myself laughing with them. I felt relaxed, not in the same way I felt relaxed after a run in the woods, but more at ease nonetheless. Unfortunately, it seemed that the universe had decided that I could not relax for more than ten minutes.

We (or rather, they) decided to go to a little Italian restaurant for dinner. The sun was already starting to set, and I could tell that Jessica and Angela had worked up an appetite shopping all day. We first stopped by Jessica's car, where they loaded their shopping bags into the trunk. I, too, had a contribution to make, as I had surprised myself into buying a dress as well.

It was a simple dress that reached just above my knees and dipped tastefully down in the chest area. It was sage green, with little leaf patterns stitched into the skirt, and it looked very nice against my pale skin and made the brown of my contacts pop out more. I could hardly resist the purchase, even if I didn't know where I would wear it.

When we got into the restaurant, I quickly excused myself to the restroom. My eyes had started to feel irritated, and I was glad I had brought an extra pair. As I passed through the dining room, I let in a breath, smiling at the savory scents of garlic, basil and rosemary that seemed to permeate every inch of the room.

I got in the restroom, glad to find no one in there at the moment. I quickly switched my contacts and ducked out, wondering what I would pretend to eat here. I'd never really tasted Italian food before, and I wasn't sure how it would taste to me. As a vampire, one's taste buds change to make the taste of blood more appealing. This causes the taste of other foods to change as well, and sometimes for the bizarre. For me, apples tasted a lot like lavender for some reason.

I was walking back to the table where my friends sat, still contemplating what to eat, when I heard my name called. At first, I ignored the call – the restaurant was named La Bella Italia, and I thought someone may have just been talking about it. But then I heard my name again, louder, and I recognized the voice, stopping me in my tracks.

I turned to the origin of the call, meeting gazes with none other than Edward Masen himself. He was sitting at a small table, across from Jacob.

I tensed up at the sight of the dynamic duo, feeling the instinctual urge to run from the restaurant as fast as possible. I resisted, however, and instead I squared my shoulders, slapped a smile on my face, and walked over to the table, wishing I just could have a moment to enjoy my life now that I had discovered how to do that.


	10. Chapter 10

"Bella." Edward smiled and stood up as I approached, and I took in his form. He looked good, dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans that hugged his hips and beige button-down that smoothed out his body. His auburn hair was combed back from his face, and in the dim light of the restaurant, the small red acne marks on his face were downplayed. For a moment, I felt like my heart began to beat again.

There was a very short pause where I gazed into his dark eyes and I wanted to kiss him. I made sure I was breathing. "What happened yesterday?" he asked at last.

"Yesterday?" I couldn't help but glance at Jacob. The boy had his gaze set on his glass of soda, but I got the feeling he was watching me. "I woke up with a fever," I lied, wondering if that was even a valid excuse. I mean, when I was alive, fevers were a huge deal. But now, with modern medicine, I doubted fevers even bothered anyone.

"I see," he said. "Good to see you're feeling better." We locked gazes once more, and for a moment, it seemed like he was concentrating on me. It made me feel a little uncomfortable, and I cleared my throat to break the moment.

"Who's your friend?" I asked to move on, turning my gaze to Jacob.

"Oh, right," Edward mumbled awkwardly. "This is Jacob Black. Jake, this is Bella." Jacob looked up at me finally, and he smiled just as tightly as I was. I didn't miss the way Edward said my name, as if he was trying to avoid putting any significant note to my voice and had failed. I got the feeling I was certainly talked about between the two boys.

"Nice to meet you, Bella," Jacob said, standing as well. He put his hand out to shake mine, and my mind flipped back to when Edward described me as cold. It made me reluctant to grasp Jacob's warm hand, and I noticed that he seemed to run rather warm, as if he had a fever.

The shock of our very extreme temperatures made the both of us release each other quickly. Ana said he probably didn't know he was a werewolf, and that he probably didn't know I was a vampire, but I wasn't willing to lay my money on that bet. He looked at me almost hostilely, as if my very presence disturbed and repulsed him – and honestly, the feeling was a little mutual.

"Nice running into you, Edward," I said, noticing how mechanical my voice sounded. I hoped I wasn't insulting him with my reaction to Jacob. Then again, all things considering, I think this was a very reasonable reaction. "I should get back to my friends. I'll see you on Monday."

"Certainly," he said. "Have a good night, Bella. Stay safe."

"You too," I said and quickly retreated back to my table. I sat down next to Angela, facing Jessica, and she was just buzzing and was ready to grill me, probably ask who Jacob was. However, I could hardly concentrate on her questions. I kept glancing over to Edward and Jacob's table. I saw their lips moving, but between the distance and the noise in the restaurant, I couldn't make out what they were saying.

"Bella, are you okay?" Angela asked, and I snapped back to reality.

I smiled apologetically. "Sorry," I said to both her and Jessica. "I'm just a bit distracted."

"I'd be distracted by that hot cup of coffee," Jessica said, glancing over at Jacob. I stared at her for a moment, then just burst into a fit of laughter. It was the releasing-all-tension kind of laughter, and I'm sure Jessica was giving me a weird look, but it felt so good to just calm down after that tense few moments. "So who is that?" Jessica asked me curiously after I'd gotten a handle on myself.

"That's Edward's friend Jacob," I told her. "I don't think he goes to our school."

"Oh no," she said, taking a sip of her iced tea. "He's got to be from La Push. Native boys are so hot." Angela let out a small giggle, which she stifled into napkin.

"Don't forget about Mike so easily," I teased her.

We ordered dinner. I stuck to a simple salad, not wanting to test the boundaries of my taste buds just yet. I knew what lettuce tasted like to me, and I avoided any dressings. I picked at this salad as we chatted over dinner, but my gaze would return to Edward throughout the evening. Despite myself, I sniffed the air, hoping to catch his scent. Unfortunately, it was lost among the scents of every other human in that restaurant, and there were a lot of them.

I knew both Angela and Jessica could see how distracted I was by Edward, but neither brought up the subject. As we were walking out to the car after dinner, though, Angela said to me quietly, "I hope you and Edward go out. You suit each other."

I smiled at her and said, "So do I." It was the first time I had verbally expressed my feelings towards Edward to anyone other than Ana, and I felt a rush of giddiness that left me restless in the back of Jessica's car on the way home. I tried to calm down, to remind myself of the complicated issue that Jacob presented, but my body had other ideas.

Jessica dropped me off at home. I thanked her for the day out, waved goodbye and walked inside, grinning stupidly to myself. I was glad for the time out with my friends, and for the fact that I finally had friends to do this with. I hoped I had many more days out like this ahead of me.

Ana wasn't home when I got inside, but that was fine with me. I was feeling a sense of fatigue, so I headed to my room to rest. Vampires didn't sleep, of course, but we could rest our minds in a similar sense to sleep. We just didn't lose consciousness.

It was during this rest period that I had a little vision. Not of the future; I didn't have the power to see what had not yet happened. It was more like a dream, or what I vaguely could remember what dreaming was like. I was sitting in the forest, on a fallen log. It was a clear, warm day, and the sun was shining through the thick trees in patches. A few spots of sunlight hit my skin, reflecting off with a brilliant glimmer.

I heard approaching footsteps, and out from behind a large tree trunk came Edward. He looked upon me with a sense of awe, slowly walking towards me. His dark eyes swept over my body, lingering on the parts that shined in the sunlight. I smiled at his awe, and I held my hand out to him. Without hesitation, he took it and I eased him up onto the rock beside me.

His hand was soft and warm around mine, and I didn't let go. Instead, I pulled him close and breathed in his heady scent. I felt his free hand on my side and feel down my leg, leaving a trail of tingles where he touched. I felt along his chest, feeling his heartbeat beneath his warm flesh, and I heard the deep rumble of his rich blood coursing through his veins. His fingers felt along my lower back, sending me shivering, and my teeth slid out.

He gazed at my face for a while, his eyes trained on the sharp fangs that protruded from my mouth. There wasn't any fear coming off of him, but rather a sense of curiosity. This changed in a beat, though, when I realized that we were moving closer to each other. I felt his hot breath on my lips, and I eagerly anticipated the kiss that I knew would send me into throes of passion I had yet to experience, when I heard the slam of the front door that totally ripped me from this dream.

I sat up on my futon, at first confused as to why I wasn't in the forest. Disappointment, then anger flew through me when I realized it was just a figment of my imagination that had been interrupted, and I desperately wanted to lay back down and see if I could return to it, but I heard Ana calling for me.

I sighed and stood up, my knees feeling a little less than stable. I ignored the distinctly warm feeling in my lower belly and walked out into the hallway, trying not to scowl. I could hardly believe that I had managed to dream what I had, and to be torn away from it was maddening.

I found Ana in the kitchen, having set some plastic bags down on the table. For a moment, I thought she had bought more food, but then I realized that these bags had the name of the bookstore in Port Angeles on them. "What did you buy?" I asked, walking up to the table.

"I got you a few presents," she said with a grin, handing me a heavy bag. I peered inside to find three thin yet dense volumes. I pulled one out and read the title: Cooking for Kids: Introducing Your Child to the Joys of Cooking.

I stared at the brightly-colored cover featuring sugar cookies cut into shapes of stars and horseshoes. I raised my gaze to Ana, who just grinned. "You have got to be kidding me," I said flatly.

With a laugh, Ana said, "I asked the bookstore clerk what good books there were to teach people how to cook, and she highly recommended this one. Don't let the fact that it's for kids bother you."

I rolled my eyes. "I know how to cook," I protested, putting the book on the table.

"You know how to cook in the 19th century," she pointed out, and I couldn't help but glance at the kitchen counters, and at the shiny appliances on them. "These books will teach you how to do that."

I pulled out another volume, this one twice as big as the first: The Beginner's Guide to Slow Cooker Cooking. I wasn't even sure what the "slow cooker" was, but I mainly wondered why a beginner's guide needed to be over three hundred pages. The final volume was sleeker than the book before it, but heavier and no doubt filled with full-color, glossy pages. It was entitled Seasonal Cooking for the Family.

"Well, thanks," I said with little enthusiasm. Compared to what I was just experiencing a few moments ago, this was just downright dull.

"Listen," Ana said, picking up the other three bags she had brought in with her, "I'm not trying to force you into cooking. I just know how much you used to love it, and I want you to have resources available to you if you decide to pick it up again." I couldn't help but smile. Even if Ana seemed a little dotty in the head, at least there was method to her madness. I just wish I could always know what this method was.

"That's assuming I have the capacity to figure out all the things that go into modern cooking," I joked lightly, and Ana grinned.

"I'm still hoping you invite Edward over," she said as she left the room, and I just rolled my eyes.

If I were going to invite Edward over, it would be for something far more interesting than slow cooker cooking.


	11. Chapter 11

Sunday flew by, as I had kept busy tending to household chores, then found myself reading a book I had taken from Ana's room. It was a small book, a murder mystery written in the 1920s by the author Agatha Christie. I found myself taken in by the writing, and once I was finished, the sun was rising on Monday morning.

I drove to school in drizzly weather, being careful on the slick roads. I tried to fight the giddy feeling bubbling up in my stomach as I looked forward to biology. I tried to remind myself how dangerous Edward was, but once again my body wasn't having any of it. Still, I did exercise self-control, and I drove calmly into the school's parking lot.

I spotted Edward's sleek Volvo immediately. It stood out amongst the more humble-looking vehicles of the other students. The only car that could compare out of the lot was a candy apple red Volkswagon beetle, and that in itself was a stretch.

I knew Edward was on campus somewhere, and I was sure I could easily sniff him out. I resisted this tempting act, however, and met up with Jessica, Angela and Mike on the school's steps just like every day. I didn't fail to notice that Jessica had her hand locked with Mike's, and the sight made me smile.

As I sailed through the day, I noticed that I had come to pay attention more in class. English was actually rather intriguing. The professor had the class dissect an essay, and I found myself absolutely enjoying breaking down the meaning behind the author's word choice. Judging by the look of boredom and reluctance on the faces of my classmates, I figured I was the only one.

I discovered my government class was incredibly dull and involved more Latin than I was expecting. The real shock of the day came from my third class, Spanish. I didn't even know I was in a Spanish class until that Monday. Indeed, I had not paid attention so thoroughly the previous week that I didn't realize the entire class was speaking in a different language.

I realized that I was more than lost in my math class, which was a pre-algebra class. I had basic math skills, and I was sure I could have handled the class better had I come in at the start. Starting off like this in the middle, while the teacher rattled on about parabolas and other such nonsense, I could hardly keep up.

I wasn't dismayed by this, however, because it gave me an excuse to ask Edward about his competence in math. Perhaps he could be my teacher on this subject, as well. Any reason to speak to Edward was a good reason in my book.

At lunch, I sat with the usual suspects. I was listening on a discussion on the importance of matching one's shoes to one's outfit (headed by Lauren), as apparently Eric just couldn't seem to understand why girls kept so many shoes. It was during this conversation that a young man with wiry black hair approached me.

I looked up at him, noting that he smelled strongly of automobile oil and too much aftershave. He smiled wryly and stammered out an invitation to accompany him to the dance. I recognized this child as belonging to the sophomore class, and noted that he barely looked fifteen. I politely turned down his invitation, and after he had walked away several steps, Jessica and Lauren burst into giggles.

"Of all the people to ask you out, it would have to be Ugly Spencer," Lauren said, her voice a little harsh with laughter.

"That's a bit of a harsh name to give someone," I pointed out, glancing back towards the young man who had sat down at his own table. I was pretty sure he was still in ear shot.

Lauren shrugged. "It's just a nickname. Not like we say it to his face." I noticed that she gave me a bit of a dark look, her jade eyes narrowed, the corners of her small mouth turned down. I took that cue to turn to Angela and strike up a conversation about hiking, which turned into a table-wide discussion about going down to the beach this weekend.

"We could go out and hang for the day," Jessica suggested. "Maybe even have a camp out."

"It's going to be way too cold for that," Mike pointed out. "The forecast said it'll be snowing again by Thursday."

Jessica grinned. "There's ways to keep warm," she said, and I saw the pink rise in Mike's cheeks, heard his heart rate speed up, and I was sure he was imagining what those ways could be. "We could all go, and Lauren could invite Tyler, and maybe Bella could invite Edward."

My eyes widened at the idea, and I stared at Jessica's suggestion. I could see what she was pulling – get all of the couples together alone in tents away from parents for the night. I could see everyone at the table wanted to do it. After all, these humans were just in the right age to be exploring the physical parts of their own and others bodies. And of course, I was all for getting Edward alone for several hours.

Still, I could see this ending badly for me. I could always explain the coldness of my skin away as the air's chill, but that would only work for so long until Edward and I were alone together in a tent. He'd start to wonder why I wasn't warming up. Then there was the issue of contacts, not to mention ensuring I don't bite anyone.

"I think we should put off camping for a little while," Eric said, sounding uncomfortable. I glanced between him and Angela. I wasn't even sure if they were "officially" together or not.

"Fine, fine," Jessica said with a wave of her hand. "But we should still go down for the day. It'd be fun!"

"Let's do it," Mike said eagerly, and before I knew it, we had all agreed to a day trip to the beach.

"You should still invite Edward," Jessica said to me with a nudge. I wondered when she had decided that Edward was a good match for me, considering what she had said about him on Saturday.

"Well, I'll ask him," I said, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lauren roll her eyes. I knew Edward would not want to spend several hours around people who didn't like him. I wasn't even sure if Edward was much of an outdoors kind of guy. I mean, I did see him hiking once, but he was with Jacob, who could have just dragged him along.

Or they wanted to be in private to talk about vampires.

I resolved not to even ask Edward, and just tell Jessica he couldn't make it. It was for the best, in all honesty.

At last, the bell rang, and it was time for biology. I stopped myself from rushing there, telling myself to be calm. It would seem very weird and creepy if I rushed into class with a silly grin on my face, saying "Hey, Edward! I missed you all weekend, Edward! How's it going, Edward! Did you think about me, Edward?"

Yeah, that would drive him away faster than flashing my fangs would.

I walked into class and dropped down into my seat. Edward's stuff was on his side of the table, but he wasn't, nor was he in the classroom. I noticed his notebook was sitting on top of his biology book, and after a quick glance around, I nudged it open with a fingernail.

I was deeply curious as to whom Edward was, and I wanted to know everything about him. I peered into the pages the notebook opened to, taking in the biology notes he had taken down. His handwriting was surprisingly neat, which was a rarity in humans these days. At some point, public education had dropped proper penmanship from the curriculum, which was a shame. I also noticed the little doodles scribbled on the edges of the paper. They weren't great works of art, nor were the subjects anything particularly insightful: a dog, a tree, a cloud.

"Hello, Bella," Edward's voice sounded behind me, and I jumped. I hadn't heard him approach. He chuckled and sat down in his seat, looking down at what I had been peering at without his permission.

"Sorry," I said guiltily.

He just shrugged. "I don't mind. It's not like it's my diary or anything." His crooked smile made relief wash through me, and I realized that I had been worrying he'd be angry with me. "Although, I must ask, were you looking to see what you had missed on Friday or were you looking because you're curious of me?"

I hadn't expected his bold question, and I found myself almost nervous to tell the truthful answer. "I honestly don't care what I missed Friday," I said. "That is, nothing that the teacher might have been saying." I saw his cheeks flush, and I couldn't help but smile.

I thought about my dream, and of how warm and soft he felt. I remembered the feeling of his heart beating against his chest, and of his hot breath on my lips. I wondered how he would feel in reality. Would it be like my vision? Would it be better? Or would it not live up to what I had imagined? I found myself wanting to know, growing eager to touch him. I knew it would be beneficial for me to run to the girls' locker room and take a cold shower, as I could hardly contain myself.

I told myself I had to pay attention to what the professor was saying, but somehow the lecture on cell replication just couldn't hold my interest compared to the boy beside me. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, wondering what it would feel like to run my hands through his auburn hair, to feel his lips on mine. Before I even knew it, the bell for class to get out had rung.

He looked to me as he closed his books. "So how was that lesson for you?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I pretty much missed it," I answered truthfully, though I didn't exactly say why.

He smiled, though. "Would you like to meet in the library again today?" he asked.

"Of course I would," I told him, grinning myself. "And maybe every other day, if you're not busy. I really just don't get any of this stuff when the instructor explains it. You explain it far better."

"I wouldn't mind tutoring you regularly," he said, and I just about jumped for joy at his words.

It was settled, then. We would meet every other day in the library to talk biology, and possibly algebra. Honestly, I wanted to do far more interesting things with Edward than study, but this was a great way to start that off. In time, as we got closer, perhaps something would happen.

I couldn't decide if I was being foolish or simply following human instincts. I wasn't sure which was worse.


	12. Chapter 12

The next couple of weeks demonstrated a peaceful routine in my life. I'd go to school, learn things that I honestly should have learned decades ago, and then I would come home and delve into books. I'd gradually began to feel my hunger for literature, and ever since finishing The Great Gatsby, I'd made good use of my library card. But my reading frenzy hadn't been contained to fiction; I'd also picked up and read through those cookbooks that Ana had bought for me, though I had yet to actually cook anything.

My relationships with my friends had branched out in different ways. I'd become closer to Angela and Eric, and while I spent time with everyone during school, I rarely saw Jessica or Lauren in the off hours. With Edward, things had hardly cooled off. We met regularly after school to study together, and had even met up in town a couple of times. Each meeting was a test of my self-control as I struggled not to throw myself all over him.

Of course, the life of a vampire, beyond all the glamor (and glimmer), is wrought with danger and stressful situations. My peaceful life as a high school student quickly dissolved with the arrival of one of Ana's friends. He was a vampire, and one far less used to living among humans as Ana and I.

I came home from school on a Friday afternoon to find this stranger in my living room. He was sitting on the couch, drinking thick blood from a wine glass. His eyes met mine, and I saw a hint of madness in that crimson gaze that made me very uncomfortable. Ana introduced him to me as James.

"I guess you can say he's a bit of an old flame," she said with a hint of laughter in her voice. I looked James over, sizing him up a little. He had a thick body composed of muscle, hardened now in his vampire state. He held himself rigidly, as if ever ready to either run or fight, and his face seemed frozen into a scowl. His clothes were tattered and dirty, and his dark brown hair looked like it could use a wash.

I certainly hoped he'd been more vigilant in his upkeep when Ana dated him than he did now, or else I would have to seriously doubt Ana's taste in men. Apparently he'd had a bit of a fight with his mate up in Canada and had come down to stay with Ana for a little while until things cooled down. His voice was hard and cold, with a gravelly undertone that made me want to stuff a pair of socks in his mouth to shut him up.

A worried feeling started to bubble up in my stomach. Two vampires living together in a small town like Forks was already a big risk; adding another into our little circle, even if temporarily, sounded foolish. And honestly, I just didn't like the look of this man. He seemed way too wild for us to house.

The weekend was, in a word, hard. Angela was busy, so I didn't have a chance to hang out with her, and Jessica and Lauren had whisked themselves off to an over-night trip to Seattle. I even called Edward, but the boy never seemed to answer that fancy touch screen phone of his. Somehow, everyone I knew well enough to spend time with outside of school were otherwise engaged, leaving me knocking about the house with James.

At times, he seemed restless and agitated. From my room, where I sought refuge, I'd hear him pacing and muttering in the living room. He drank a lot of blood and even had four whole bags to himself within the first few hours of his stay.

On Sunday night, James had almost blown through our blood supply. Ana set out to Port Angeles to visit her friends at a blood bank there and get us a new supply to last until our regular shipment would come. I offered to go with her – almost begged, really – but told me it would be rude to leave James here alone. Though I wanted to stay as far away from him as possible, I did have the sneaking suspicion that if he were left to his own devices here, Ana and I would return to find we no longer had neighbors.

For eight painfully long hours, I was stuck in this house with James. At his request, I sat with him in the living room while he watched a wrestling match on television. I sat rigidly as he laughed at the violence on the flat screen, saw that his fangs were exposed every time he opened his mouth. It was very rude for a vampire to show his fangs unnecessarily, but I had already surmised that James was not the most chivalrous of men.

"Bella," he spoke up at one point during the evening, after the wrestling match as concluded, "do you have a mate?"

"I don't," I told him, though the image of Edward flashed in my mind. I didn't fail to notice, however, the sly grin that crept up on James' face. A shudder rolled down my spine.

He looked out the window, shifting his feet. His hands clenched and unclenched on his knees. "I could use a good hunt right now," he growled.

"No," I said firmly, pulling his attention away from the window. "We don't hunt here. There's still blood in the refrigerator, and Ana is bringing more back soon."

A frustrated growl left his throat. "How can you live this way? It's suffocating." He got to his feet and resumed pacing once more, an activity he participated in ever few hours. I watched him carefully, ready to pounce should he make a run for the door.

Ana didn't return until the sun dawned on Monday morning, and I was relieved when I saw her car pull into the driveway. I was dressed and in my own car before she even got a foot in the door, and I sped down the street to school. I had forgotten to grab a bag of blood before I left, and I arrived at school drained, hungry and not at all ready to join the land of the living.

And of course, the day dragged and I was thrown back to my first day at school. I was irritable, hungry, and I hardly felt like putting on a show for humans by pretending to eat at lunch. I hid out in the library and buried my nose in a book for about ten minutes, until I heard my name called.

I couldn't help the smile that raised the corners of my mouth, and I looked up as Edward Masen joined me at the small table where I had planted myself. My gaze swept over his large body as he set his backpack on the table. He was wearing a new beige sweater, this one thinner than his old one, and it was a bit snug around his belly. I sat on my hands to keep them from gravitating towards him.

He looked at me, and I tore my gaze away from his body. "You look tired," he said, the concern in his voice touching. I figured that, due to my hunger, dark circles had developed under my eyes.

"I am," I answered honestly. I was considering skipping out of gym and driving to the woods, where I might be alone to rest away from James. "My sister's ex-boyfriend came to stay with us for a little while, and he's allergic to peace."

"That sounds awful," Edward said, and I noticed the way his hand twitched on the table. I could tell he wanted to touch me as much as I wanted to touch him. I would have encouraged it, too, were we not in the library surrounded by other children. Images flashed through my mind, of the two of us alone in the woods, with no one to stop us from exploring each other's bodies in the cold air. I could almost feel Edward's warm hands on my hips, his soft flesh beneath my palms.

Edward's voice brought me back to reality. "Bella, are you okay?"

"Oh, yes," I said, feeling that odd warmth in my belly again. "Just zoning out, I guess."

"You should take a nap," he said, checking his wristwatch for the time. "There's still a lot of time left in lunch."

"I won't be able to sleep," I said, speaking truthfully once more, though for reasons he couldn't know. I glanced around the library to imply the reason behind this insomnia.

"You can go out to my car," he suggested, and I tried not to stare wide-eyed at him. He shuffled a bit awkwardly. "I mean, I suggest my car because the seats are heated, so you won't be cold." I almost laughed, but then he put his car keys on the table. "Go ahead," he said.

I looked at the key, attached by a ring to two more keys, several of those small cards people seem to carry around, and a charm of a musical note. "You're just going to hand over the keys to your car like that?" I asked, wondering if he was all there in the head after all.

He shrugged. "I trust you not to take it on a joy ride," he said easily. "But if it makes you more comfortable, I will accompany you."

Well, his presence wouldn't help soothe me to sleep, even if I could accomplish such a state, but I wasn't going to pass up a chance to not only have a few minutes alone with the boy, but see the inside of his car. "I'd quite like that," I said, trying to fight down the giddy feeling coming over me.

I walked beside him out to the parking lot. As always, his car was parked at the far end of the lot, but it wasn't a huge space, and it took only a few minutes to walk over. Edward opened the passenger side door for me, and I grinned as I slid into a beige leather seat. I couldn't help but noticed the boy really liked beige.

He got in on the driver's side and slid the keys in the ignition, turning the car on to warm the interior. My gaze slid over the car, and I even glanced in the back. The car was kept in immaculate condition, a rarity amongst young people. Even my own car was cluttered in the back with clothes, empty bags and other oddities. His scent permeated everything in the car, and I almost felt dizzy breathing it in.

"Would you mind some music?" he asked.

"Go ahead," I said, more focusing on the fact that there was no one in the parking lot, and even if there were, the windows on this car were pretty tinted. I watched as he reached over and turned on the radio, allowing soft, morose piano music fill the air.

I felt the seat warm up underneath me, and took this an excuse to unzip my jacket. I hardly felt tired anymore, and I certainly wasn't going to just take a nap and waste this opportunity. I saw Edward glance at me, saw the way his hand twitched on his knee again. I wondered if his suggestion for a nap in his car had been genuine or if was having the same steamy thoughts I was. It would have been nice to be able to read his mind.

I couldn't, however, so I decided to simply take a chance. I sat up straight, caught his eye, and took in a breath. A wave of nerves washed over me, but I didn't allow myself to think a single conscious thought as I leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips.

For a moment, he was stock-still; then he seemed to realize what was happening, and he responded, though his actions were more hesitant than mine. I felt the brush of his warm, soft lips on mine, and I sucked lightly on his bottom lip. My hands gripped his sweater and pulled him closer, then moved down his body. I felt his large hand on the back of my head, angling my face up so that he might better kiss me. The sweet taste of him was more intoxicating than his scent, and if he hadn't pulled away after a moment, I would certainly have begun removing clothes from both of our bodies.

I let out a breath, meeting his dark eyes. He was breathing heavily, his cheeks flushed a deep red, his pupils dilated as they focused on me. I felt my fangs shift, and I quickly closed my mouth in case they should pop out from the excitement that coursed through me.

"Class...class starts in a few minutes," Edward said, his voice thick and husky. "We shouldn't miss it."

I merely nodded, watching as he took a deep breath and turned the car off. The piano music came to an abrupt end, and I only just now remembered its presence. As Edward got out of the car, I attempted to calm myself down. I was just on the verge of losing it and ravaging Edward right there in the parking lot. I don't think he would mind it all that much, to be honest.

I climbed out of the car when Edward opened my door, and I took the hand he offered, his palm almost burning in mine. Once on my feet, I turned to Edward and kissed him once more, lightly, and I honestly meant to pull away immediately. His arm caught me, however, and held me still as he returned the kiss, deepening more even as the bell rang across the parking lot for lunch to end. I let my hands feel over his chest and down the curve of his belly, even lower.

He pulled away then, almost violently so, and took a step back. His lips were reddened from our kiss, and his breath came out with steam in the cold air. "O-okay," he stammered, not looking me in the face. "Really, it's time to go to class."

I grinned to myself as he turned and headed towards the school. I could tell that if he wasn't so worried about being punctual to class, that kiss may have delved into something not fit for the parking lot. As I followed after Edward, my head filled with thoughts of what could have happened in his car, and I knew I wouldn't be hearing a single word of today's biology lecture.

As was probably for the best, Edward got called home directly after school, so we couldn't meet up in the library to study anymore. I was certainly glad for the reprieve, honestly, because I knew I would have no problem continuing our parking lot escapades, and that could probably land the both of us in a sticky situation.

I drove home, grinning the whole way. I'd almost forgotten about James during my little adventure with Edward, but was instantly reminded when I got out of my car in my driveway and smelled his musky scent in the air. I sighed aloud and stomped up to the front door, my good mood melting away at just the thought of that man in my home. But when I got in, he wasn't there, and neither was Ana. There was no note left on the refrigerator, nor in my room.

I pulled my cell phone out of my backpack. I had silenced it, of course, at the beginning of the day and hadn't checked it since. I discovered that Ana had called me several times over the last hour, and had left a message. I listened to this message, and my day went from not so bad to just plain horrid.

"Bella," Ana's panicked voice spoke up, "call me as soon as you can. James has gone off to hunt, and I can't handle him alone. He-he's found a target, down in La Push. Meet me there ASAP."

I nearly dropped my phone, but shoved it deep into the pocket of my jacket and raced back down to my car. I sped towards La Push, praying that we would be able to find James before he found his target.


	13. Chapter 13

When I got to La Push, Ana called me. She sounded carefully calm, like she didn't want me to know how troubled she was. "Bella, I've lost James." Her words sent a chill through me, and for a moment, I couldn't speak. She continued on, telling me the last things he said, and that he was tracking a Quileute boy he'd seen while out for a run in the woods.

"I'll keep looking for him," she promised me. "I just hope we can stop him in time. Trackers like him don't quit until they've hunted down their prey."

"I know," I breathed into the phone.

There was a long pause, and I thought Ana would hang up the phone, but then her voice came over the receiver again. "If werewolves get to him first..." Her voice trailed off with a tremble, and I knew what she was thinking.

"We'll find him," I assured her. "I'll see if anyone's seen him around here first, then I'll try to pick up his scent in the woods." After we spoke a few more reassuring words to each other, I ended the call and drove to the center of town, where I inquired if anyone had seen someone fitting James' description. I didn't expect anyone to have seen him, as he was hardly one to stroll through town.

However, I did find someone who'd seen him, or at least might have seen him. A tall, muscular man with short-cropped black hair was leaving the small grocery store as I was walking up, and I stopped him and asked if he'd seen a pale man with short brown hair and dirty clothes. I stuck to that general description because I could always claim I was looking for a homeless relative or something if questions were asked.

The tall man eyed me warily, which put me on edge. Without making it obvious, I took in a breath, smelling his sharp, musky scent. There was something off-putting about the way he smelled, something repelling that immediately had me holding my breath. "I've seen someone like that," he said coolly, and that made me stay in my place even though I wanted to run.

"Where?" I asked, focusing on the task at hand.

"I saw him on the beach," the man answered. "It was about two hours ago."

I nodded, knowing James could have moved half-way across the state in that time. "Thank you," I said, starting to walk away. I felt the man's gaze burning into my back as I retreated, and I couldn't help but wonder if he was one of the werewolves. If that were the case, could he sense that I was a vampire? And did his knowing of James meant the werewolves had already gotten to him?

I called Ana, though I didn't get an answer. I left a brief message, relaying what I had learned. With that done, I got back in my car and headed out to the edge of town and into the forest. I parked my car on the side of the road near the entrance to a popular hiking trail. When I stepped out, I inhaled the air, trying to pick up the scent of James. I smelled nothing of him, however, so I dashed into the foliage and began my search.

I knew this would be a needle-in-a-haystack situation. It was obvious by James' appearance and scent that he spent a lot of time out of doors, far more than I ever had in my life. Even if he didn't know the area as well as I did, he was more adept at moving through the forest and keeping himself hidden. The only advantage I had was that Ana was also searching for him.

I raced through the forest, trying to find anything – a footprint, a broken branch, a piece of torn clothing. The longer time drew on, the more pessimistic I became about the situation. I had no idea how competent of a tracker James was, but there was no doubt that I was on a tight schedule before he struck.

I tried not to think about the consequences of my failure to stop James. There would be a dead human, torn from the seams and drained of all blood. That was not a typical way for a human to die, and even if Ana and I could appear completely uninvolved in the death, we still would both feel too uncomfortable to stay here. I would have to leave Forks, my school.

Edward.

I was just starting to enjoy being around people again; I didn't want to lose that.

"Bella." When I heard my name called from above me, I jumped back a good ten feet, putting my back up against a tree trunk. I searched the canopy for the origin of the voice, finding the man I was looking for peering down at me from a high branch. Even from the distance, I could see his amused smirk. "Looking for me?" he asked.

I stood up straight, clearing my throat. "Yes I am," I said, making my voice stern. "Ana told you that you are not allowed to hunt in our territory."

"Oh, I'm going to hunt," he said with a chuckle. "I can't stop now."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Who are you hunting?" I asked boldly. I didn't even know if he'd answer me.

"A boy," he said, tilting his head in the direction of La Push. "A child, really. He runs hot and smells repulsively attractive." His voice floated down to me thickly, seemingly to surround me as he spoke. There was a lilting note to how he spoke, like a delighted child speaking of his favorite candy.

"A Quileute boy," I said, remembering what Ana had told me.

He shrugged a lazy shoulder, then dropped down to the ground, landing on the balls of his dirty bare feet. I moved away from the tree as he approached me, careful not to corner myself in his presence. Though I was hardly a defenseless child, I knew that James was both stronger and more unpredictable than me. I stiffened as he closed in, getting too close. I met his eyes, darkened with hunger, and saw madness in them.

"What's his name?" I asked, my voice low.

"I don't know," he said and grinned. "I don't care. I want you to tell me about him."

"And what can I tell you?" I spat, stepping away from him. "I don't know any of the Quileute boys."

"That's not true," he said, stepping forward with me, keeping our distance short. "He's spoken your name. You know him."

A cold feeling went down my spine. There was only one Quileute boy I had ever met. Of all the people who lived in this area, why did James have to choose him as the target?

"I've only met him briefly," I said, speaking slowly so as not to let my panicked feelings show in my voice. "I don't know anything about him."

"Oh, Bella," he breathed, sounding disappointed. Much to my relief, he backed away from me, turning away. I didn't think fast enough, and by the time I realized that I should have kept a hold of him, he had raced off into the woods, even beyond the reach of my view.

That evening at home, I traced the path James had created when he paced through the living room. I could hardly think straight as my mind listed off all of the implications of letting James get away as I had. For all I knew, Jacob was dead and drained.

Ana continued to search the area for James even after I had given up and gone home. I had managed to call her and tell her what had transpired between the wild vampire and myself. Ana had given up her calm guise, and let the solemn note in her voice linger when she said, "Go home, Bella. I'll keep looking, but you go home."

I felt a failure and that Jacob's death was partially my responsibility. Even if Ana and I could weather the aftermath of the tragedy and continue our lives here in Forks, could I ever look Edward in the eye again? Could I withhold from him the truth of his best friend's death?

I paced, wringing my hands, pulling at my hair. I felt this would go on forever until Ana called me at last. I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of my phone's musical ringtone, and I nearly dropped it as I fumbled to answer the call. "What's going on?" I asked immediately.

"Bella, first thing, calm down," Ana said firmly to me. I took in a deep breath, trying to get a grip on my nerves. "James told me you know the boy he's after."

"That's right," I said, not daring to speak Jacob's name aloud, in case James could hear me. The less he knew about Jacob, the better, I figured.

"Do you know where he lives?" she asked.

"In La Push."

"I mean, where his house is."

"I have no idea."

"Do you know someone who would?"

"Well, yes." I paused for a moment. "Why do you need to know where he lives?"

Ana sighed, and I could tell she sounded very tired. "I've been trying to catch James, but he keeps eluding me. If I can't catch him before he gets too close to the target, then I may need to stake out this boy's home."

"I'll come help you," I said, heading towards the door already.

"No," Ana said firmly. "I need you to find where he lives and text me the address. Then I want you to stay home."

"But Ana-" I tried to argue, but she hung up on me. I ground my teeth in frustration, feeling a spark of pain in my jaw for a split second. There was no way I could just sit here and fiddle my thumbs while she did all the work! I resolved to head straight to Jacob's home the moment I had his address.

I went through the few contacts I had programmed into my phone until I found Edward's number. I hit the call button and waited as I heard the phone ring in my ear, still grinding my teeth. I checked the clock; it was barely eight o'clock, so he should still be up. Finally, after five rings, he answered.

"Hey, Bella," he said, his voice sounding a bit alien over the phone. "How are you this evening?"

"Just fine," I said. "Look, Edward, I need Jacob's address."

There was a pause that, in reality was no more than a second, but seemed to stretch on forever. "Why do you need Jacob's address?" he asked.

"Well, because," I said, but then stopped, realizing I couldn't tell Edward the truth. But if not the truth, then what could I tell him? That I was sending Jacob a flower arrangement? My brain not working fast enough for a cover story, I simply stuttered on the phone.

"Bella," Edward said after a moment of this. "What is it?"

I stood there for a moment, tempted to just end the call and try to sniff Jacob out myself. I realized how foolish that was, however. "Edward, I...I can't tell you why I need it. I just do." He was quiet again. I paced quicker, my feet moving about twice the speed of a human's. "Please, Edward."

"Is Jacob in trouble?" he asked.

I bit my lip, trying to figure out how much to tell him. "Well, yes," I said.

He let out a sigh that sounded somewhere between exasperation and frustration. "Bella, what on Earth is going on? Tell me!"

It was my turn to sigh, this time in resignation. I admitted to myself that I could hardly continue to lie to Edward like this, especially since he was obviously worried about his friend. I couldn't think of a good enough lie—so I prepared to tell him the truth.

"Okay, Edward," I said, coming to a stop in my living room. "I'll tell you. Everything. But please, tell me Jacob's address first. Then come over. I won't hide a thing."


	14. Chapter 14

Edward and I sat in my living room stiffly, the both of us waiting for me to speak. The air was thick with tension, and I felt Edward's dark eyes on me as I stared at my hands, trying to put together words that could make this whole experience easier on the both of us. I could see how on edge Edward was, even out of the corner of my eye. His body was rigid, and his hands seemed to be clenched in permanent white-knuckled fists.

"Bella," he said through gritted teeth, "Tell me now what's going on with Jacob." I could see his worry turn to frustration, and his frustration turn to anger. It was almost palatable, and it was undeniably directed at me.

I knew I couldn't leave him in the dark any longer, so I just spoke. "Jacob's life is endangered by a vampire that has become obsessed with hunting him down. We've been trying to stop him all day, but he's very hard to track and-"

"We?" Edward interrupted me to ask.

"Ana and I," I said, recalling that I hadn't told him much about her, other than that she was my older sister who took care of me. It really wasn't that far from the truth.

Edward's mouth became a tight, thin line, and he stared at me with hard eyes. "Vampire," he said, his jaw set so the word almost came out in a hiss. He shook his head. "You can't be serious."

"I wouldn't be anything but when your close friend is in danger," I told him, and he met my gaze. I had taken my contacts off before he arrived that night, realizing I had neglected to after I returned from school. I was only reminded because my eyes began to feel very irritated as the moisture covering my eyeballs began to eat away at the lenses.

He held my gaze for a few silent moments, and I wondered if a part of him would be wondering why I had put in my "red contacts" at a time like this. Then he sighed and shook his head. "I knew you were different," he said quietly. "No one's mouth is cold."

I stared at him for a moment, bemused by his words, until I recalled our private moments alone in his car earlier that day. It didn't even occur to me that, with his hands all over me like that, he would have noticed the icy feel of my skin. I found myself wondering if my mouth tasted differently to him than other humans, and just how many human mouths he's tasted in his life and—focus, Bella. I shook my head.

"You're also hard," he said, his brow furrowing. "Like marble."

I nodded grimly, wondering how I hadn't remembered any of these things about my body when I'd thrown myself all over him. "That's another symptom," I said quietly.

"Yes it is," I heard him mutter under his breath, and I was immediately put on edge. How did he know what a vampire was like? Most people believed we turned to ash in the sunlight and lacked reflections in mirrors. Very few mortals knew the vampire traits, and vampires as a whole liked to keep it that way. "What else can you do?" he asked me, leaning forward a bit.

"What have you heard I can do?" I countered, wondering just what he knew. His eyes narrowed, and I wondered if he'd dance around my question as I did.

I was pleasantly surprised. "I've heard you're fast and strong. You have sensitive hearing and sense of smell. You don't sleep."

"Anything else?" I asked. Superhuman strength and speed were rather common in vampire legends, but there was one trait that barely anyone outside of vampires knew about. I wanted to know if he knew about it.

He glanced off to the side, his brow furrowing again. "You're meant to be attractive. You're supposed to smell good, look good, as that's how you lure your...your prey in." He paused and swallowed, and I couldn't help but watch the muscles in his neck work. "You can come out in the day, but you're never seen in the sun." He met my eyes once again. "And you're incredibly violent."

I almost smiled. "You know a lot," I said, leaning forward myself. "Where did you hear all that from?"

"I hear a lot of Quileute legends," he said, and he glanced out the window, no doubt reminded of what had brought him here. "How much of that is true?"

I bit my lip, unsure of how much I should reveal to him. I'd never had to tell a mortal about our existence before, and therefore had no experience. Did one tell a mortal everything, or just a few things? Should I pepper a lie or two in there to protect the species, or did it just not matter? "Enough of it," I answered, mostly to buy myself time.

His mouth tightened again. "And you are a vampire."

"In the flesh," I said.

He stared at me for a moment. "Prove it," he challenged.

"Prove it?" I repeated, almost laughing. "Edward, you've figured it out for yourself. Why should I prove it?"

"I want you to show me yourself," he said. "Prove it."

I frowned, not comfortable with this. What, did he want me to bite him or something? Or should I instead go and fetch a bag of blood and chug it in front of him like some morbid version of a frat boy? I suppose I could dash around the room, or lift the couch or...

An idea struck me, and I got to my feet. I saw Edward reflexively tense up as I approached him. I saw the way his eyes dilated as they focused on me, and how a vein in his neck popped out a little when he swallowed. I kept my gaze on him as I reached out my hand to take his, smiling invitingly at him. I could tell he was nervous, but he took my hand anyway. I pulled him out of the chair with little effort, which surprised him, but what really caught off guard was when I swept him off his feet.

He yelped in shock as I lifted him with little effort. I could uproot decades-old trees without batting an eyelash; an overweight teenager was almost nothing to me. The warmth of his soft flesh on my arms and against my chest was nearly overwhelming, but I tried to ignore both that and the heady scent I was getting from him. I felt his muscles ripple underneath the fat, felt his strong hands grip my shoulders. I imagined myself pinning him against the wall and tearing away the weak material of his clothing.

He stared at me in shock as I grinned back to him, and I saw his face flush red. Before I could act out the scene I saw in my mind, I eased him back down onto his feet, and he immediately turned away from me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, noticing the huskiness in my voice.

"Fine," he grumbled over his shoulder. He ran a hand through his hair, and I noticed the slight tremor in it. I gave him a few moments of quiet to collect himself; after all, I'm sure he wasn't expecting a girl to lift him like that.

When he turned back to me, I saw a troubled look in his eyes. "This vampire after Jacob," he started, and I frowned.

"That vampire after Jacob won't be of much concern," I assured him. "Ana's taking care of him now. That's why I needed Jacob's address. Ana went there to stand guard and make sure James won't hurt him."

"James," he repeated softly, and I nearly slapped myself for the slip. Even after reprimanding myself and telling myself to focus, Bella, focus, I could still barely manage to keep my hands at my sides. They felt nearly magnetized to Edward's body, and I was fighting the pull. This was very distracting.

"Look," I said, walking away from him a little to get out my nerves. "Maybe we should go out and get something to eat, or-" I stopped mid-sentence as I heard his footsteps near the front door. I dashed in front of the door faster than he could even blink, and he gasped at my speed.

"Damn it, Bella!" he growled. "Let me go."

"No," I urged, not budging from my spot. "I'm not letting you just walk into danger alone like that."

"Then you come with me," he insisted. "I don't care, but I have to get over there."

"There's nothing you can do!"

"There could be something you could do."

"Ana instructed me to stay here."

"Well, she didn't tell me anything."

I huffed, narrowing my eyes at him. He just glared right back. "No way, Edward," I said firmly. "I'm not letting you go to La Push for any reason whatsoever."

I stared out the windshield blankly as Edward drove to La Push, wondering how I'd let a mortal talk me into not only letting him run right into danger, but letting him drive there as well. He insisted we take his car, as it was faster, but only he could drive it, of course. I'd never met a mortal so stubborn and dead-set that he would challenge the words of a vampire. Then again, Edward Masen was a different sort of person.

"I can run faster than this car," I said without looking at him, knowing full well he was pushing the car over ninety miles an hour. "Even with you on my back."

"I'd rather drive," he said flatly, and I saw his grimace in the corner of my eye.

"I see you like to be in control," I said, a smile playing at my lips. He didn't respond, but I saw him glance my way. "Very interesting that you should choose to be with a vampire."

"I know you can't actually control mortals," he responded to my bluffing hint, and I scowled. He was well-versed. "But you are right."

I smiled. "Edward, I think you were born in the wrong century."

"I'm not the only one," he responded quietly.

I had texted Ana about Edward forcing his way down to La Push, but I never got an answer from her. It worried me a little, but at the same time, she could simply be busy. I hoped she was chasing James out of the area, out of the state. I had no idea what we were walking into as Edward pulled up to Jacob's house. The boy lived in a small house on a big piece of land, complete with gravel driveway holding a couple of older cars. Edward had told me at some point that Jacob enjoyed restoring old vehicles.

Edward got out to knock on the front door, but I hung back to attempt calling Ana. Neither of us got an answer. Edward came back to his car, his eyes full of the same worry that I felt. He tried to call Jacob on his phone as well, but that only ended with the same result.

We sat quietly in his car for several moments. My nails made small, nervous tears in the knees of my jeans. Edward ran a hand through his hair. We glanced at each other, then away. Neither of us knew what to do from here.

"We should get back to Forks," I said at last to break the silence. "It's getting late."

Edward didn't say anything, didn't even move for a long time. I could hardly imagine what he could be thinking. I was worried about Ana, but she was a very old, very skilled vampire. She could easily handle James, who was barely older than me. She wasn't a frail mortal that could be torn apart so easily by the cold hands of a vampire.

I reached over and covered his large hand with my own. He looked at me in surprise. I wanted to say something reassuring or comforting, but no words came to my lips. Instead, I just leaned over and kissed his cheek.

He smiled faintly and let out a breath. "Let's get out of here," he said, turning the car on. He looked at Jacob's house one last time before peeling out of the driveway. As he sped home, I could feel the tension in his body. I wondered if Edward would blame me for this situation. After all, he and Jacob had led pretty vampire-free lives until I came along. Although it was possible James could have fixated on Jacob no matter what, it seemed like he was made a more likely target because of my presence.

If Edward blamed me, would he hold it against me? And would he ever forgive me?


	15. Chapter 15

The whole next week was hellishly tense.

Ana didn't come home for three full days, and didn't call me until Tuesday night. She was in Toronto, and she had managed to chase James all that way until she lost him again. She sounded calm and sure that he wouldn't be a problem, but if I knew anything about trackers like James, it was that he would not give up until he had his prey.

Edward didn't hear from Jacob in the least bit, and had made three more attempts to see him at his home. Each time he didn't get an answer; not even Billy, Jacob's father, seemed to be home. I could see the toll the stress of not knowing of his friend's fate put on Edward. Every day at school, he looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep, with dark circles under his bleary eyes. His nails reduced to chewed-up bloody messes. He couldn't focus on the lectures in biology class, and could barely keep on topic during our study time together.

He asked me for more information every day, but I could only tell him what Ana told me. If James had gotten to Jacob already, she would know, and I tried to reassure Edward that Jacob was all right. Even still, as the week dragged on with no word from the boy, I began to wonder if Ana had withheld some details from me. Had James caught Jacob already? Is that why she was able to get rid of him?

We hadn't spoken much about my being a vampire, and much to my surprise, he didn't really treat me any different. That could be because his mind was centered on one thing, however, and I wondered if he'd even stopped to think much about anything else. I wondered how he'd be towards me once his mind restored itself to normal. Perhaps he would put a distance between us. I sincerely hoped that wouldn't be the case.

On Friday morning, I saw him drive up into the parking lot just as I was. This was odd, because Edward always arrived to school several minutes earlier than I did. I parked next to his car and peered at him through the window. He looked quite undead himself, and with the way he stared at the steering wheel, unmoving, I wondered if he'd fallen asleep with his eyes open.

I got out of my car and tapped on his window. He was slow to react, first looking up from the steering wheel to me, then down at the controls on his door for a moment before the window rolled down. "Good morning, Edward," I said cautiously, struck by how inflamed the whites of his eyes were. I was certain he hadn't slept a wink since Sunday, and worried for his well-being.

"Hey," he said, lifting a hand to rub at his eyes. Without the obscuring tint of the window in the way, I could see that his gray t-shirt was wrinkled, as if he'd slept in it and hadn't changed, and that his blue jacket had been haphazardly thrown about his shoulders. He ran a hand through his messy, uncombed hair, stifling a yawn. His movements were sluggish, and I knew he wouldn't learn a single thing that day at school.

I glanced around quickly. As always, Edward had parked on the far end of the lot, and the bell for class to start was about to ring any minute now. Most of the children were preemptively making their way to the school, and there wasn't anyone nearby. "Sorry, Edward," I said to him, then reached in and lifted him up and out of his seat.

He tensed up and tried to fight me, but in his lethargic state, he could only manage tired slaps. I maneuvered his large body over the gear shift and into the passenger seat, a tricky thing to do in the low car. "What are you doing?" he demanded as I sat down in the drivers seat, warmed by his body.

"Taking you home," I said, turning the car on.

"Driving my car?" He sounded very exasperated, and he even huffed and sighed.

I rolled my eyes. "You're in no shape to be driving," I told him, rolling up the window and locking the doors. "I'm surprised you didn't fall asleep at the wheel getting here."

"I'm fine," he insisted. "I'm a little fatigued, but-"

"You're more than just a little fatigued," I interrupted him, meeting his eyes. "When was the last time you slept?"

He shrugged. "Do you even know how to drive standard transmission?" he asked with another sigh.

"I was born before cars were invented," I reminded him. "I was driving what you know to be manual transmission way before you were even conceived."

He folded his arms across his chest. "The immortal would have to have an attitude about it."

The casual utterance of "immortal" from a human's lips was almost surreal, and I reminded myself that he was exhausted. I drove home, being careful with Edward's precious vehicle. I kept my eyes on the road and drove at a decent pace, for once, and even parked with careful grace in my driveway.

"Not even a scratch on the paint," I said, looking at him, only to find him slumped against the window, his eyes closed. His breathing was quiet and even, and I could tell he had simply fallen asleep. Apparently my driving had been rather soothing.

I frowned, not wanting to wake him up, but not wanting to leave him out in the car, either. Of course, carrying him was no big deal, but if any neighbor saw me lifting such a heavy boy when any girl my age and build should not be able to, then I may have a thorny situation on my hands. Our exposure had already been threatened; I didn't need that to happen again.

I dashed inside to see if Ana was home. She'd been gone more often this past week since she returned home, roaming the woods around Forks for signs of James. I was so glad to have found her in the kitchen, her fangs deep in a bag of blood. She looked at me in surprise and raised her eyebrows questioningly.

I didn't bother to explain my absence from school yet. "I need your help getting Edward inside," I told her. "He's asleep in his car and I don't want to wake him." She rolled her eyes, and I sighed. "Look, I can't just carry him in myself! It would look odd, don't you think?"

She nodded and sucked down the last of the blood on the bag. "I know," she said after she pulled it from her teeth. "But why is he asleep? With the two of you in the car alone together, you should be-"

"Ana!" I interrupted her, shaking my head. "This is hardly the time for that!" I turned and rushed back out to Edward, very aware of how cold the air was. I opened his door carefully, knowing that he was slumped against it, and steadied him so that he wouldn't fall.

Ana walked up behind me and looked him over, shaking her head. "The things you bring home, Bella," she said with a grin.

"Just help me, please," I said, letting my annoyance be heard in my tone. "And make it look real. He is heavy, after all."

"Now that's just mean," she said lightly.

We each took one of his shoulders and eased him out of the car. Pretending to struggle with Edward's weight, we slowly made out way up the walk and into the house. Once inside, Ana slung him over her shoulder like a rag doll, and I cringed. "Don't be so rough with him!" I hissed.

"Don't worry, Bella," she said with a wave of her hand. "He's still asleep, and he's fine. I won't damage any goods."

I groaned and walked out to lock up Edward's car quickly. I glanced at the houses surrounding mine, wondering if anyone had seen our little display or if the feigned struggle was just a waste of time. Living amongst humans was harder than it needed to be.

Edward slept for twelve straight hours. As the time dragged on, I was ever the more grateful that he had made it to school before he fell into unconsciousness. I could just see his sleek Volvo crumpled up against a metal pole with Edward's broken body inside, crashed because he fell asleep at the wheel. The thought made my chest hurt.

Ana, in her infinite wisdom, had laid Edward on my futon to sleep. I would have thought he'd have been more comfortable on Ana's bed, but at the same time, he was so deep into sleep that it may not have mattered. Ana had hinted at the two of us curling up on my futon together, but it wasn't exactly big, and Edward wasn't exactly small. I'd have to pretty much lay on him.

...Maybe that's what Ana meant.

At one point while I waited for Edward to rise, his phone rang. I was sitting at my desk, reading one of Sherlock Holmes' adventures, when I heard a faint buzzing coming from Edward's jacket pocket. He didn't even stir, but I reached over and pulled the device out of its holding, intending to silence it. The name on the caller ID, however, had me answering the call without thinking. "Jacob, where have you been?" I asked urgently.

"Who is this?" he demanded with more force than I'd heard from him before. His voice sounded lower, gravelly, almost foreign.

"Bella," I answered, and he made an angry snorting sound.

"Put Edward on the phone. Now."

"No, he's asleep."

"What did you do to him?"

"Nothing!" I sighed, annoyed at Jacob's attitude. "He hasn't gotten any sleep this past week because you disappeared off the face of the earth. You didn't answer his calls or anything, and he's been worried sick. I just got him to go to sleep a few hours ago, and there's no way I'm waking him up until he's fully rested." I heard Jacob's heavy breathing on the other end, but he didn't say anything. "In the mean time," I went on, "you can tell me what you've been up to."

"I can't," he stated. "You can tell me why one of your kind is after me."

"How should I know?" I responded, letting my exasperation through more in my tone. "I guess because you smell delectable to him."

He huffed, actually huffed, like some kind of wolf. "Look, when Edward wakes up, have him call me. As soon as possible." With those words, the call ended quickly, and I put Edward's phone down.

I had no idea what was going on with Jacob, but I did know that I didn't like how he sounded one bit. The sound of his voice alone made me feel nervous, and his attitude towards me just angered me, especially the more I thought about it. I sincerely hoped he hadn't intended to speak to Edward like that, after all the worrying Edward had gone through this week. If that were the case, I had a thing or two to say to Jacob myself.

When Edward at last awoke, I was in the kitchen, drinking blood from a glass. I had decided to go that route in case this very event happened and I needed to get upstairs quickly. Drinking straight from the bag carried the downside that one had to wait until the bag was empty to pull one's teeth from it, or else one would have a big, bloody mess on one's hands.

I put the glass down and dashed upstairs when I heard the creak from my futon. Edward was just sitting up when I walked in, rubbing at his eyes. He looked about himself in confusion until his gaze focused on me. He squinted a little bit. "Bella? Where am I?" he asked thickly.

I walked over to him and handed him a glass of water I had put on my desk some hours ago, at Ana's suggestion. He drank it as I explained, "You're at my place. I brought you here before school started, remember?"

He nodded, looking at me. His eyes were still bleary from sleep, but they weren't red anymore, and the dark circles under his eyes had lightened a little. I noticed that he smelled a little musky, and realized that, having slept in his thick jacket, he must have been quite warm in his sleep and had sweat a great deal. The scent was nearly overpowering, and I found myself once again on the edge of jumping all over him.

He handed me the empty glass with a quiet "Thanks." I nodded and set the glass on the floor as I watched him glance about my room. Though now my desk held a stack of books, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as some uncompleted homework, my room remained its same bare self. I felt a bit self-conscious about it, knowing how strange that was compared to humans, but Edward made no comment.

"How do you feel?" I asked him.

"I feel like I slept harder than the dead," he said. His eyes widened. "Er, sorry," he said awkwardly.

I smiled a little. "You didn't move an inch," I told him. "Not even the dead can claim that." I wasn't really sure if one could call vampires "undead", honestly. We didn't feel like corpses – we felt like statues. Technically, though, we weren't living. Living creatures grow and change. Vampires stay as they are, forever. Even corpses changed, though if only to rot.

Not liking this train of thought, I told Edward, "Jacob called."

He straightened up immediately. "When?" he asked, his hand digging into his pocket for his phone.

"About four hours ago," I told him, reaching over and picking up his phone from my desk. I handed it to him. "He wasn't too pleased to hear you were asleep."

Edward nodded, his fingers flying across the touchscreen of his phone. I wondered if he was actually listening. I stood up. "I'll be downstairs," I told him over my shoulder, figuring he'd want privacy to talk to his friend. He nodded at my words and I left the room.

From the kitchen, however, I could hear his voice clearly. It seemed Jacob answered Edward's call pretty quickly, because Edward's voice floated down to me, demanding to know where Jacob was all week. There was a long pause as Edward listened to Jacob no doubt recounting whatever it was that had so completely taken his time. I sipped at my glass of blood, hardly interested in it. "Oh, Jacob," Edward said lowly, and then, "I'll come over now." I stiffened, wondering if I should stop him or let him go. I didn't like Jacob, but he was Edward's close friend. Then I heard him say, "Fine, then I'll see you tomorrow."

I quickly busied myself with wiping down the counter to appear like I had been engaged the whole time when I heard Edward's heavy footfalls on the stairs. I looked up at him as he entered the kitchen, and saw that his gaze was focused on my half-drunk glass of blood. He stared at the glass for a few seconds before looking at me. I smiled tightly. "How is Jacob?"

"I'm not sure," he answered, sounding weary. "He wouldn't tell me the full details." The way he avoided meeting my eyes made me think it was Edward who wasn't sharing the full details, but I let it slide. It probably wasn't any of my business.

Then again, vampires were involved; it certainly was my business. But at this moment, I decided to give Edward a break. After all, we both had had a very stressful week. I folded the cloth in my hands neatly, then moved to pour out the blood in my glass. Looking at it, however, reminded me how hungry I was. This reminded me that Edward must be absolutely famished – he hadn't eaten in over twelve hours!

"How about you go sit down and I'll make you something to eat," I suggested, though wondering what I would make him. I still hadn't experimented with any of the cooking equipment in this kitchen, though Ana had taken to baking in the past couple of weeks. She proudly proclaimed that she had become a master with the stand-mixer and food processor – whatever those were – and thought maybe she should open a bakery.

Edward raised his eyebrows. "You cook?"

"Well," I started, glancing around at the still-unfamiliar cooking supplies. "No. Not anymore."

He smiled a little, and I wondered when the last time I had seen that crooked smile of his had been. Certainly far too long, and I wanted to wrap my arms around him as much as I could and kiss those lips of his. "When was the last time you cooked anything?" he asked.

"Well before Fordman grills and crackpots were made," I answered.

He chuckled a little. "I think you mean Foreman grills and Crock Pots," he said.

"Whatever they are," I mumbled, feeling embarrassed. I was so out-of-date with my culinary skills.

"Well, would you like to learn?" he asked me.

I stared at him, completely taken off-guard. "You know how to cook?"

"I quite enjoy it, actually," he said. "I think it shows." He glanced down at his body, then smiled again. I'm pretty sure I started to feel that weakness in my knees that every heroine in every romance novel feels (yes, my reading preferences had expanded in this time. Call it a guilty pleasure).

"Edward," I said, smiling myself, "if there's anyone who can teach me how to use an electric stove, it'd be you."

"You're not even up-to-date on that?" he asked, and I shook my head. He slid an arm around my shoulders in a way that made me shiver. "Then you're in good hands, Bella. I'm a master at this."


	16. Chapter 16

Edward stayed throughout the night, and only a small portion of that time was spent in the kitchen. He showed me how the stove worked as he made an omelet, which he then devoured as if he hadn't eaten in days. I finished off my glass of blood while he ate, wondering if the presence of the blood made him uncomfortable at all. Perhaps his hunger had distracted him from my meal, as he made no comment about it.

At my suggestion, we moved from the kitchen into the living room. Edward took the couch while I sat in the big chair, putting a safe distance between us. Having sated my physical hunger for now, it was easier to be around Edward without the distracting thoughts entering my mind. After all, there were far more pressing matters at hand, like the fact that I was a vampire, and Edward still had yet to freak out on me like any good mortal should. I had to find out why he took this so well.

Edward spoke before I could get a chance. "You know," he said, glancing around the room, "you wouldn't really think vampires live here. It looks pretty normal. At least until you look in the fridge." He chuckled lightly.

"Edward," I said, shaking my head, "you say 'vampire' too easily."

He met my gaze with a raised eyebrow. "I guess you don't expect it from a human, do you? Being so willing to accept that you exist."

"No, I don't," I confirmed. "How can you be? And so relaxed about it, as well? According to popular legends, vampires are monsters."

Edward broke our eye-contact to glance down at his hands splayed on his knees. "I've always felt that your kind exists." He licked his lips, his gaze turning reflective. "I've always known, really. I have met one of you before."

My senses went on alert and my muscles stiffened. "You have?" I asked. "When? Who?" I tried not to sound too inquisitive, but I could hardly believe the words coming from Edward's mouth. If he'd met a vampire and had come to know of their nature, he surely would have been killed already. Most vampires didn't take well to mortals learning of them.

Edward, however, smiled. "This is going to sound ridiculous," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I saw someone when I was young, perhaps seven. I was camping with Jacob's family in the forest. We were on a hike when I thought I saw someone. I only remember seeing this person run away very fast. Too fast." He met my gaze once more. "And that before this person ran away, I saw that they had red eyes."

I shifted under his gaze a little, remembering our first encounter in the library on my second day of school. Edward had seen my true eye color then. He had been the one to suggest I was wearing colored contact lenses. "You knew all this time?"

"I had a feeling something was different," he said. "That feeling only deepened when we got to know each other more and more."

"So you told Jacob," I pointed out. "You told him about my red eyes and cold skin."

He looked confused, and his brow furrowed. "How do you-"

"I overheard you telling him," I confessed. He still looked bemused, so I explained, "It was that day, after we met in the library for the first time, and you got a good look at my eyes. You and Jacob went hiking that day after school, and it was then that you told him about me. I know, because I was out there." I let out a breath, wondering what he was thinking. It'd be handy to be able to read his mind.

He was quiet a moment, looking like he was recalling the event in question. Then, he laughed, throwing me off guard. "You actually heard that?" he asked, still chuckling. "Oh, that's embarrassing."

"Maybe for you," I said lowly. "It made me wonder if you were a threat to me."

Edward's chuckling stopped immediately. "Why is that?" he asked, leaning forward.

I bit my lip. "Humans aren't supposed to know about us," I told him. "To hear one talking about us to another is a...rather unpleasant experience." I grimaced, remembering the conflicting thoughts I had about Edward, and how I worried over if I would slip up around him, and what the consequences of slipping up would be.

"I can hardly imagine," he said. He was quiet for a moment, then asked with hesitation, "Did you ever consider, ah, silencing me?"

My eyes widened and I knew I sounded more emotional than I should when I said, "Of course not! I could never!" I stopped and took a moment to collect myself, aware of Edward's surprised look. "I mean, that would just be unnecessary," I said, more calmer now. "When I thought you were close to figuring us out, I was prepared to pack up and move."

"Move?" He raised his eyebrows. "After all you'd exposed me to?"

"Exposed?" I squawked.

"Well, we've done a rather lot of touching," he pointed out. "In case you forgot." He grinned as I stuttered out something unintelligible, knowing he had a good point. Though I had told myself I'd be wary and careful around Edward, I knew that my actions hadn't reflected that. I just couldn't control my body around him at certain times. "I'm not saying that's a bad thing," he said after a moment, and I felt a shiver run down my spine at the slightly husky note that had entered his voice.

"I'm still prone to mistakes," I said quietly, "especially when I'm around you."

"Why is that?" he asked, leaning forward a bit more now, so that he rested his elbows on his knees.

"Because, Edward, everything about you absolutely draws me in." I leaned forward a bit, too, my eyes looking deeply into his. I heard his heart rate increase, saw that his breathing had become a bit more shallow. "Every moment I'm around you, I feel like I have to hold myself on a tight leash, or else I will just ravage you."

As I spoke, I noticed how much my own feelings seemed reflected in his eyes. I was certain that the feelings were mutual. However, Edward looked away suddenly, and I noticed color starting to rise up his neck and his freckled cheeks turned rather pink. "Well," he said, scratching at the back of his neck, "that's pretty intense."

"Too intense?" I asked, wondering if I were about to drive him off.

He let out a breath. "Nothing I can't handle," he said with a small, somewhat forced grin. I nodded, hoping that I hadn't scared him too much. My words were rather crude, I realized, and Edward was a bit more of a gentleman than most teenage boys. Perhaps he was offended.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "That was rather, ah, inappropriate and unladylike."

Edward nodded, leaning back and quickly perching his right ankle on his left knee. "Don't worry about it," he said, his words also rapid. "It's fine, really."

His movements were odd and stiff, and I wondered if he was okay for a moment, until I took in a breath and smelled the arousal coming from him. I couldn't contain the grin that broke out on my lips. "Oh Edward," I said, moving from my chair to the couch to sit beside him. He watched me with a mixture of anticipation and wariness, and I wondered how he would react if I were to ravage him. I decided that this wasn't a good time to explore that option, so I instead leaned in close and planted a kiss on his lips. "I'd like to hear more about your thoughts on vampires," I said quietly.

"I don't think I could tell you them right now," he breathed. I grinned and kissed him once again, and this time, he kissed me back.

The night was filled with all sorts of fun activities, taking place either on that couch or back up in my room. I'd never felt this close to anyone before, nor had I ever had much interest in becoming close to anyone. Edward and I hadn't even officially declared each other as partners, I realized at some point, but that thought had just floated away.

Just after dawn, Edward mentioned how he had to get to La Push and talk to Jacob. I really didn't want him to go, but I knew he had to see to his best friend. My only worry, however, was if he okay to drive. After all, driving through town was no big deal, but navigating the narrow cliff-side roads on the way to La Push was just too risky, especially to someone who hadn't slept much in the past week.

"I'll take you there," I insisted, but I already saw Edward's response in his eyes.

"I need to go on my own," he said firmly. "Jacob won't want you there."

"I'll leave after I drop you off."

"And strand me there?"

"We can take your car and I'll go home on foot."

"Or I can take my car and you can stay home." I was very aware of the annoyed note that had entered his voice. I knew Edward would never agree to my coming with him.

So instead I followed him.

It was risky, certainly, but well worth the risk. Humans are so fragile, and just about anything could kill them; combine that with the fact that Edward was driving on dangerous roads on an empty stomach (he'd insisted he wasn't hungry when I told him he should eat something) after living a week as a sleep-deprived zombie, and I felt like I had to keep an eye on him.

I drove out to my usual spot on the edge of the woods, right near the beginning of a hiking trail, and parked my car. I then shot off into the woods and found the road within a few minutes. It wasn't hard to find Edward's car along that road, since his was the only one on it at seven o'clock on a Saturday morning.

I stayed hidden in the woods by the road and followed Edward's car, ready to act should anything go awry. I realized that normal people probably didn't follow their close friends like this, but at the same time, normal people weren't vampires. Normal people hadn't witnessed the hundreds of ways seemingly harmless things could kill a human. Then again, neither had I, but I have had plenty of time to think about it.

I stayed close to Edward's car, staying out of his sight, until he at last pulled into Jacob's driveway. I hung back behind a tangle of trees and watched for a moment as Edward got out of his car and walked up to the house's front door. I was about to leave when a deep voice called Edward's name from across the spacious yard.

I followed the sound to its originator, struck by the sight I saw. The person was certainly Jacob, but he also looked radically un-Jacob-like. He'd grown a couple of inches since I'd seen him last, which was only a few weeks ago, and his long, shiny black hair had been cropped short. His body had grown thick with hard muscles that looked tense and stiff. He walked with a long, slow stride that reminded me of an animal stalking its prey.

"Edward, I told you not to come here," I heard Jacob growl as he got closer to his friend. Edward didn't answer, but just stood in stunned silence. Jacob walked up beside Edward, meeting him at eye-level. It was a bit of a jarring sight to see, as Edward had always been the taller of the two.

"Jacob," Edward finally managed to say, his voice barely above a whisper, "what happened to you?"

"I can't tell you that," Jacob said, a note of frustration in his voice. "Just get the hell out of here, Edward, and stay away." Edward shook his head and tried to reach out to his friend, but Jacob smacked Edward's hand away. By the way Edward gasped, I imagined it didn't feel too well. "Damn it, Edward, take your blood sucker and get out of here!" Jacob bellowed at last.

My own muscles tensed as Jacob looked over in my direction – actually, right at me, even though I was sure they couldn't see me. I wanted to run, but fought the urge, because I had a feeling Jacob would give chase somehow.

"Jacob," Edward spoke up quietly, "there's no one-"

"Your vampire followed you, then," Jacob interrupted him. "Or you're playing dumb. I don't care. Just take her and get out."

I saw Edward look over in my direction, possibly to try to see what Jacob was seeing. Steeling my nerves, knowing it was best to face Jacob rather than run, I calmly stepped out from my hiding place and approached the two boys. Though I wanted to see what Edward's reaction to my presence would be, I kept my gaze on Jacob. I knew I wasn't safe around him.

"Bella," Edward spoke up, an angry note in his tone, "I told you to stay home."

"You're not the boss of me," I replied distractedly, peering into Jacob's dark eyes. I saw animal behind those brown irises, one that appeared to be at war with the rational boy on the outside. Jacob grimaced at me, his hands balling into white-knuckled fists.

"You better get out of here, blood sucker," Jacob growled at me. I noticed he was widening his stance, and that his shoulders hunched forward. "I'm not going to be so merciful for very long."

I felt my own instincts starting to take over, and I found myself baring my own teeth, my fangs exposed. After all, who was this child to threaten me, a 200-year-old vampire? I couldn't even think of words to say to Jacob, only that my thoughts were focusing more on eliminating the threat that stood before me.

"Bella!" Edward snapped at me, and I felt his hands on my arms pull me towards his car. I yelped and broke free of Edward's grasp. "Bella, snap out of it! Let's go!" he yelled at me, which did bring me back into rational thought. I shook my head, then slid into Edward's car as he did, and he peeled out of Jacob's driveway, kicking up gravel in his wake.


	17. Chapter 17

Edward was silent on the drive back into town, and he had the steering wheel in a vice-like grip. I could feel the tension, the anger, the confusion come off him in waves that just about affected me in similar ways. I didn't say anything, both because I had nothing to say nor knew what I could say to calm Edward's torrential feelings. There was no doubt that he was furious with me for following him, but I couldn't be sure how close to the front of his mind such thoughts were.

He dropped me off at my house. Without a word, he simply slowed the car to a stop in front of my driveway and waited for me to get out. His narrowed gaze never left the view outside of the windshield in front of him.

"I'll see you later, Edward," I said quietly, opening the door.

"Whether I want you to or not, of course," he muttered as I slid out of the car. I turned back to him with a small glare of my own.

"I heard that," I told him, but he didn't respond. "Look, I only-"

"Good night, Bella," he interrupted, his tone curt. I swallowed a swell of anger and closed the car door, resisting the urge to slam it through the frame. Edward sped off as I made my way up the driveway, the wheels of his car squealing on the wet pavement.

I slammed the door closed as I walked inside, then dashed up to my room to sulk. I laid on my futon, taking in a breath to smell Edward's scent that still lingered there. If my eyes could still produce tears, I'm certain one or two angry ones would have spilled over at that point.

Ana appeared in my doorway, looking at me with concern. "Oh Bella, why did Vin Diesel take you home?"

I looked up at her with confusion. "Who is Vin Diesel?" I asked, thinking him to be one of her vampire friends. She had many friends with odd names.

She shook her head. "We still have a lot of work getting you caught up in the times," she said, walking over to sit next to my on my futon. "What's up? You sure aren't."

Letting out a very long sigh, I sat up and turned to Ana. "Edward's angry with me," I told her. Ana didn't say anything, so I offered an explanation: "Edward decided to go to La Push to see Jacob this morning, and I thought he might not be fit to drive those twisting cliff-side roads, and he wouldn't let me come with him, so I followed him instead."

Ana's eyebrow rose. "By car or on foot?"

"On foot," I said. "I didn't mean for him to know I was following him. I just wanted to make sure he got to Jacob's house okay, so I followed his car and kept out of sight. He didn't even know I was there until-until Jacob sniffed me out!" I let out a disgusted noise, which sent Ana into a fit of laughter.

"Did he really transform?" she asked as if I were telling her an entertaining fairy tale.

I glared at her. "I guess he did, but I don't care too much about that," I said lowly.

She cleared her throat and tried to look serious. "Sorry," she said, fighting a smile. "So wolf-boy sniffed you out, then what?"

I rolled my eyes and continued. "I wanted to run, but I got the feeling that he would chase me down, for some reason. So I instead came out of hiding. Jacob seemed quite upset with my presence, and his—well, he made me quite uncomfortable," I finished, remembering how my instincts had taken over as I faced Jacob. That didn't happen with me very often; I was quite civilized for one of my kind, and I liked to keep it that way.

"Oh yes," Ana said, mirth in her voice still, "werewolves have that effect on us vamps."

I sighed. "Edward wasn't exactly thrilled to see me there. He's the one who took me home."

"I can imagine," Ana said, leaning back against the cushion and kicking her feet out in front of her. "Humans really don't take well to the whole vampire-stalk thing."

"What vampire-stalk thing?" I asked, offended that she'd call my good intentions stalking.

She met my gaze. "Bella, I know it's been a while since you were last human, but how would you feel if a creature a thousand times faster and stronger than you followed you through the forest?"

I bit my tongue on the rather rude comment that nearly left my lips. "I suppose I would be scared to death of that," I admitted upon further thought.

Ana nodded. "To humans, we're frightening monsters."

"Edward isn't scared of me," I told her. "He was almost elated to learn that we're vampires. And he wasn't afraid of me in the car, Ana. He was angry."

"Well would you be happy if you told Edward to stay away and he came running after you?" she asked, apparently rhetorically, because she went on, "And what's worse is that you cheated, Bella. You can tell Edward to stay away and ensure that he can't follow you. By the time he'd have his tank filled with gas, you could be half-way to Alaska. But he can't make those same guarantees against you, and that makes the playing field uneven."

I took in her words as I tried to clear my own anger out of my head to think rationally. I found that it did make sense – I could follow Edward anywhere. His words echoed in my mind: "Whether I want you to or not, of course."

I slapped my palm against my forehead as I realized what I really should have realized long ago. "I'm so empty-headed sometimes," I muttered to myself.

Ana laughed. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Bella," she said, sitting forward and slipping an arm around my shoulders. "Like I said, it's been a while since you were last human. Just try to understand what it's like for them to deal with us."

I nodded, so happy to have Ana there at that moment to ground me and make me see sense. I made the decision to swallow my pride and apologize to Edward as soon as I could, though I knew I should give him a little time to cool down himself. I'd wait until we saw each other at school on Monday morning. It would be better to apologize in person than on the phone, anyway.

That opportunity never happened for me, however, because I spent the better part of Monday in bed, recovering from one of the most terrifying attacks I've ever experienced.

That Sunday evening, Ana drove me out to where I had parked my car that morning so I could fetch it. The moment I stepped out of her car and took in the inviting scent of the forest, I decided that I could do with a carefree run around between the trees. Ana told me she had some business to take care of in Port Angeles, so she left me to my own devices.

I'd spent the whole day thinking over how I'd apologize to Edward. I knew sometimes humans gave each other gifts or performed some small, meaningful action in addition to verbal communication. I pondered over what to do, or if I should even do anything. I wasn't entirely sure what was appropriate, and realized that I really needed to pick up a book on etiquette.

Running through the woods, as always, cleared my mind and helped me to relax. I grinned as I jumped from branch to swaying branch and dashed between fallen logs and mounds of mossy rock. I bounded over a creek ten feet wide, the water sailing below me in a flash, and I landed on the balls of my feet on the other side, a small laugh escaping my lips.

I dashed out to the cliffs, halting to a stop mere inches from the drop-off. I took in the salty sea air, feeling the cold wind whip my hair about my shoulders. There really was nothing better than getting out and getting away, in a place where no one could find me.

Or so I thought, but at that moment, I heard a deep, chilling growl right behind me. My senses going on alert, I turned around, batting away my hair that the wind at my back blew into my vision. I peered into the thick foliage of the forest and tried to sniff out where the growl had come from – it didn't sound like any normal animal I'd found in these woods. I was upwind from the creature, however, and couldn't smell much but salty sea.

I made a move to run away, but I saw movement in the dark distance. Whatever this creature was, it was very big. My muscles began to tense and my fangs slid from behind my canines. I still wasn't certain what was there, but I was ready to defend myself if necessary.

There was a long moment where it seemed like nothing moved, and then all I could see was a dark blur come at me. I made for the ground to the left, dodging out of the way of the attack, and the creature halted just before the cliff drop-off like I had only minutes before.

Standing still, I took in the sight of the creature. It was absolutely massive, bigger than a horse, and covered in course, black fur. As the creature carefully turned to face me, I saw that it resembled a wolf, if wolves were four times larger and twice as mean-looking. It bared white, sharp fangs and let out another deep bone-chilling growl, and I knew immediately that this thing wanted me gone, probably dead.

Knowing when best to fight and when to flee, I turned tail and dashed off into the forest, only to hear the monster behind me give chase. I leaped into the branches at first opportunity to attempt to lose the creature, but it stayed right on my trail. At times, I thought I had finally given it the slip, only to catch a glimpse of the dark beast jump over a boulder or duck under a log. We kept on like this for several minutes as I tried to get a sense of direction and gain some rationality over my panic.

I dove for a high branch and caught on to it, only to have it break under my weight. I plummeted to the ground, righting myself to land on my feet the way a cat does. Though I fell probably fifty feet, I landed on the ground with no pain and shot off before the monster could snap its powerful jaws around my leg like it had moved to do.

I heard its teeth gnash and shuddered, but continued to run. I came up against the creek again and jumped the over the flowing water as easily as I had previously. Before I could register that my pursuant hadn't made the same jump, a second creature leaped out of the bushes to my right. This one was smaller than the first, and lighter in color. Taken off guard, I stumbled over a tangle of vines and found myself on the ground.

Two more of these massive wolves were on me, then, and I was too troubled in attempting—and failing—to find an escape to even catch the color of fur that blurred in front of my vision. I felt the first gnashing of teeth against my hard skin that caused a jolt of sharp pain to shoot up my arm; another shot through my side, and I cried out.

I snarled and slashed blindly with my sharp nails, catching fur and flesh in them. I heard one creature yelp out, then another as I clawed into their thick skin. I felt hot blood on my fingers and smelled it in the air even as another set of jaws cracked through the flesh on my calf. I saw a black limb flash through my vision and bit into it, crunching bone as if it were a twig.

I was losing this battle, however, and I knew it; I felt myself growing weaker by the second. Raising my arms to slash became a chore, and I started to feel myself slip into darkness. Pain was the only thing keeping from unconsciousness, and I held onto it as long as I could.

From my right, I think, I heard a yelp – this one louder and more pronounced. I then saw a brown blur before my eyes as one monster was thrown into another. I heard a snarl not unlike my own, and then a second, and before I knew it, the beasts were retreating.

I caught a glimpse of Ana in my peripheral vision and I tried to focus on her. Her eyes were blazing, her long fangs bared, as she barked words to someone I couldn't see. I felt myself being gathered into someone's arms and as this person began to carry me through the woods, darkness clouded my vision and I blacked out.


End file.
